The weekly performance series begins with India and the journey continues to include Greece, Lithuania, Mexico, Italy, the Philippines, Africa and ends with a trip to Germany.

It all takes place in Navy Pier’s gorgeous Crystal Gardens each Sunday from February 26 through April 15, 2012. The events take place from noon to 5:00 p.m. and are free. To learn more, visit Navy Pier’s website.

I’m excited to take the kids – I think they’ll enjoy taking a trip downtown while learning more about different countries (and a continent) and getting a taste of culture in a beautiful setting. Care to join us? Let me know and we can make it a date!

Here is the line up in greater detail:

• February 26: Amazing India
  Presented in partnership with the Indo-American Heritage Museum and the Consulate General of India
• March 4: A Greek Journey in the Windy City
  Presented in partnership with the Consulate General of Greece and the National Hellenic Museum
• March 11: Celebrate Lithuanian Independence
  Presented in partnership with the Consulate General of Lithuania
• March 18: Celebrate Mexico
  Presented in partnership with the Consulate General of Mexico and the Mexico Tourism Board
• March 25: Bell’Italia
  Presented in partnership with the Italian Cultural Institute and the Consulate General of Italy
• April 1: Philippine Fest Chicago (Piyesta Pinoy sa Chicago)
  Presented in partnership with the Consulate General of the Philippines and the Philippine American Cultural Foundation
• April 8: Africa in Chicago
  Presented in partnership with Africa International House
• April 15: Germania on the Pier
  Presented in partnership with DANK-Haus German American Cultural Center and the Lincoln Square Chamber of Commerce

There are five advantages of creating a Foursquare account:

• It’s free (other than the minimal time commitment to set it up and keep it updated/fresh with new offers)
• It’s terribly easy to create a new account
• It’s viral so once someone “checks-in” to your place of business, their check-in is communicated to those within their networks (which, depending on how they set up their account, could include Foursquare, Facebook and Twitter)
• It encourages loyalty
• Did we mention it’s free and easy to use?

So why wouldn’t a business like a retailer, hair salon, insurance agency or any other business with a bricks and mortar presence want to have a Foursquare account?

The argument I hear from my clients and friends is that it’s yet another social media network to remember to update. However, the argument is faulty because, in all honesty, it’s so easy and painless that it’s worth the ten minutes it will take for you to set up an account. And, since we now live in a social media culture where everyone likes to tell everyone where they are and what they are doing, NOT being on social media sites like Foursquare, which broadcasts your business to hundreds and thousands of people and not having to do much to encourage it, is senseless.

To get started, set up an account, claim your location, update your contact information and image, add an offer, and, viola, you’re done. It’s really that simply. You can even “check in” to your own location everyday to remind your friends and family that you’re there and hope you’ll see them, too.

Below is an offer from Eataly (one of my favorite places to visit in New York City) which features an offer when you check in to one of its many restaurants at the location.

Eataly and Foursquare

You’ll notice the offer is for a complimentary glass of wine for “checking in” at the location. By checking in, the person has communicated to her network that she is at this location. In exchange for her communicating the information and letting the venue know she’s there, the venue is awarding her with a complimentary glass of wine. Next time she comes in and checks in, another, more attractive offer, may await her (hence, building loyalty for returning). Or perhaps another glass of wine. The decision on what to offer your visitors is up to you. It could be a financial incentive like a free item, a percentage of a purchase of a certain dollar amount or something else entirely.

Social media is just that – social. Yes, we may be deluged with updates from our friends and family on places like Facebook and Twitter, but part of the appeal is that it does connect us, even if in the viral sense. So let’s use the marketing opportunities that help drive our businesses in the upwards direction.

Easy enough? Are you on Foursquare yet? Will this information compel you to get on it?

~Megy

Megy Karydes is principal of Karydes Consulting, a boutique marketing and communications firm that specializes in working with both for profit and not-for-profit organizations. She’s a fan of many social media sites and especially loves it when her Foursquare check-ins at a bar reveal a free drink, too!

Most of us graduate from high school and college and lose connection as we move on with our lives. That’s a shame because most alumni offices genuinely enjoy hearing from its alums and just like the adage, “you get out of life what you put into it,” you never know what may come out of returning to your school campus.

Offer to speak to a class about your work or serve as a mentor to a student interested in your industry or career. If you’re in a position to hire interns, offer your place of employment as an internship site and supervise the intern. Allow students to shadow you for a day to see what goes on in your day-to-day life.

I’ve done all of the above and I can tell you firsthand that each and every one of the experiences have not only allowed me to give back to both my high school and colleges, but it’s generated short and long-term business, allowed me to make business contacts, introduced me to students whom I would later hire as interns and staff. And, yes, it also introduced my business to hundreds of people, students, professors and staff members, who would never come into contact with my business otherwise.

One word of caution, though: my intent was really to give back to the educational institutions that have given me so much. Granted, I was very involved in school’s activities, everything from internships (plural) to serving as an editor of my college newspaper, but I also remember how I felt when professionals would come to our classes, take time away from their busy schedules, and speak openly and honestly about their positions, what to expect when we graduated, salary ranges, and how to prepare for interviews. I vowed that when it came time, I would do the same. The rest of it is really a bonus for me. And it can be for you as well.

Marketing isn’t always about strategies, analytics and results. Sometimes it’s the intangibles that reap the greatest rewards. Let’s not forget that giving back can come back in more ways than one.

Have you been back to your high school or college campus since graduation day?

~Megy

Megy Karydes is principal of Karydes Consulting, a boutique marketing and communications firm that specializes in working with both for profit and not-for-profit organizations. Her last visit to her undergraduate alma mater, by invitation from her favorite college professor, presenting on her career trajectory resulted in a new client more than a year later, proof positive that when you love what you do, success will follow.

Pinterest can benefit almost any business or non-profit organization

For those who love visuals, Pinterest is a goldmine. A more recent social network, it’s an image-based library which allows you to house images by “pinning” them onto your themed boards.

For example, Boards can include Products I Love and images would be just that: products that you love. For interior designers or home design lovers, a Board could be Favorite Places and Spaces and images housed there would include anything from great home design solutions to cities you’ve visited and loved.

So how does this new social network benefit your business from a marketing perspective? At first glance it would appear you’re just collecting beautiful pictures but in reality it can be robust with appropriate images from your business. Similar to Facebook and Twitter, those who follow you on Pinterest can “repin” what you pinned on your boards and, thus, is now shared with their network which then can get shared among their network and so on. Get the picture (pun intended).

Before you dismiss Pinterest as not being applicable to your business, read Avi Kaplan’s post: Steal these 42 Creative Pinterest Ideas for Non-Profits. Although Kaplan focuses his attention to non-profits, the ideas easily can be applied to regular businesses, too. From museums to hospitals, schools to environmental organizations, the reality is that stories are sometimes best taught through VISUALS and Pinterest is all about the visuals. (And, as a side note to non-profits, this is a great way to really think about the visuals your organization has. The more, the better. Keep that in mind as you host events where photo opportunities exist!)

Do you Pinterest? Will you consider it? If you’re on it, you can find my Pinterest profile here. Let’s connect – I’d love to see your boards!

Megy Karydes is principal of Karydes Consulting, a boutique marketing and communications firm that specializes in working with both for profit and not-for-profit organizations. She especially likes to collect recipes and pictures of beautiful food on her “Yumminess” board on Pinterest since she knows she’ll never have time or talent to make any of them!

Connecting with the media as an expert is easy when you know where to look

Working with the media can be seem frightening to some people and it need not be. Reporters are like everyone else who have a job to do and are constantly looking for sources to complete stories. Once you realize you’re an expert or have something of value to offer, it makes reaching out to them that much easier.

Services like HARO (Help a Reporter Out) make it simple to find reporters specifically working on stories and actively looking for sources. The FREE service sends you three emails per day (morning, mid-day and afternoon) containing requests by reporters seeking experts on everything on green living to product requests.

There can be days or weeks when I might not see a good fit between a reporter’s needs and my clients but other times the fit is so perfect that writing a pitch to that reporter is simple. Have I received responses from reporters? Absolutely. In fact, I probably estimate an 80% response rate particularly because I’m pretty targeted with my pitches / responses and I make sure my source or information is spot on or else I’m wasting my time and theirs. The key here is not to be “off-pitch” for several reasons:

1)    Reporters may report you to the administrator who may choose to block you from future emails.

2)    Reporters don’t like their time wasted and they don’t soon forget you’ve wasted their time so if you ever pitch again, you may not get their attention, no matter how perfect a source you may be the second time around.

3)    You’re wasting your own time. If you’re not an appropriate source, don’t try to be something you’re not. It won’t benefit you or the reporter.

How do you respond to a query?

Here are some pointers you’ll want to keep in mind when responding to any media query:

1. Respond prior to the deadline (this is key – if you miss the deadline, your window of opportunity is lost).
2. Include “HARO” in the subject line so the reporter will know your email is in response to their HARO query and not spam.
3. Be succinct — Keep it short and on topic. Depending on what the reporter is asking, this could be anything between a few sentences to a couple of paragraphs.
   Include qualifications.
4. Do not send attachments as HARO won’t include them when forwarding your response to the reporter. If you have a link, include the link. Or if the attachment is crucial (ie a hi-res jpg image), let the reporter know you have it and can send and if the reporter can use it, trust me, she or he will be in contact with you to get it. Reporters are not shy.

HARO is just one source and I like it because it’s free. There are other free ones like Reporter Connection and PitchRate but you’ll find their queries tend to focus around specific categories or types of reporters – and those may work for you better than HARO so do your research and see what you feel is worth your time. I wouldn’t recommend subscribing to all of them because you’ll see some duplication and you’ll be wasting your time. If you want to pay for a service, you’ll want to consider ProfNet which is very similar to HARO.

Have you used a service like HARO successfully? What advise would you offer others who have not tried it yet?

Megy Karydes is principal of Karydes Consulting, a boutique marketing and communications firm that specializes in working with both for profit and not-for-profit organizations. HARO is a key part of her PR plan and especially enjoys the service when she finds a reporter who is seeking experts like her clients and she can develop a long term relationship with that reporter.

Attending networking events are great but what about organizing your own monthly events where you invite like-minded, non-competitive and collaborative professionals to gather and discuss a particular industry hot topic or brainstorm an issue someone is having? Or share contacts and advise?

I’m in the process of organizing an informal monthly lunch and learn with other marketing and communications professionals. Right now my network is a loose group of amazing women whom I regularly call when I’m looking for a media contact at a particular outlet or recommendation on how to pitch a particular editor. They do the same when they need to brainstorm or massage an idea or if they just need to vent about a particular issue.

Individually we work hard for our clients. Collectively, though, nothing can stop us. We take care to not abuse our relationships or contacts and are right there to cheer each other on, attend an event when we’re concerned about attendance or to spread the word about something they are working on.

Is there a group of folks you regularly call on for help or think might make for a beneficial networking group if you were to connect monthly? Choose a date, time and place and be sure to create an agenda (most of us don’t have time to waste so be mindful of people’s time and create and stick to an agenda!). Then send out your invites and see what happens after that first meeting.

Know that not everyone will be able to come and think about whom you plan to invite so you have a healthy group (you don’t want wallflowers necessarily but you also don’t want someone who will talk the entire time so as not to allow everyone to participate).

Perhaps you can make sure each person will have an opportunity to present their issue during a monthly meeting and if someone really wants to chat about something they can bring it up as an option.

The goal is to make this a fun, enjoyable and productive time. Tweak it as you feel necessary!

Are you part of a monthly networking group? What do you enjoy most when you meet?

Megy Karydes is principal of Karydes Consulting, a boutique marketing and communications firm that specializes in working with both for profit and not-for-profit organizations. She’s a big fan of networking events, especially when they include smart women who share her belief that when women work together, great things can happen.

So this year, professionally, I have several things in the pipeline from increasing my speaking engagements and workshops to writing more feature-length pieces for consumer and trade magazines. In order to get stronger at writing, I have to keep working on my craft.

Personally, my goal is to finally run that half marathon but rather than approach it by simply logging in more miles, I’m including fun workout activities since my personality feeds off of intense activities. In addition to my bi-weekly kickboxing training (which I love and have been doing for several months now), I’ve enlisted the help of my girlfriend and my spouse to carry out two more activities – roller derby and obstacle course races!

I will admit that when my girlfriend recommended roller derby I was skeptical – those girls can be hard core as they try to knock you down! But, rather than say no way, I got myself a derby name (I’m Smackajawea), got my skates fitted, and off we went! Here is a picture of us right after our first session last week! Don’t worry – I had my wrist and elbow guards as well as our mouth guard on the entire time – I just took them off before we shot this picture.

Then, this weekend found my husband and I in Wisconsin competing in the Tundra Challenge, a 4-mile obstacle course that takes place outside in the snow and ice. Although I have no problem running 4 miles at a respectable pace, running in the cold, and on snow and ice, was more difficult than I imagined. Here are pictures of my husband and I before the race began (yes, that hill behind us was part of the obstacle course!) and my husband trying to get himself over one of the walls (try doing that while your shoes are filled with snow and wet).

There are many ways to approach things in life and while we can approach them in the traditional way (like marketing our businesses or doing the same thing year after year and expecting different results), the reality is that there are so many different ways to try things.

So rather than sticking to that same catalog layout or direct mail piece, advertisements in the same magazines or reaching out to the same clients and prospects, try something different. Brainstorm with a friend who knows nothing about your business and see what she comes up with. Visit a different city and absorb the atmosphere and energy and see how you can apply that into your personal or professional life.

Not only will a new approach energize us, it may help us reach those goals that much faster.

OK – so what’s next? I’ve got fencing on the brain. I’ve never fenced before – what shall I expect, I wonder?

~Megy

Megy Karydes is principal of Karydes Consulting, a boutique marketing and communications firm that specializes in working with both for profit and not-for-profit organizations. She’s currently training for a half marathon by doing everything but increasing her distance because she hates running on treadmills in the winter. Professionally, you’ll find her first speaking engagement in New Orleans in April, speaking at a national conference for museum stores. 

Last week a client scheduled a meeting at Kouks Vintage Coffee Shop in Chicago. Although I work very near this quaint coffee shop, I’d never been in it and I was looking forward to checking it out. The first thing I did when my client recommended we go there to meet was check Yelp to find its physical location.

After that, I checked out its pictures and its reviews.  Then I was hooked – I couldn’t wait to check it out. It had an old school charm to it and the reviews sounded fabulous. Then, before I even stepped foot into the door of this place, I started telling people about it – have you ever been to Kouks on Northwest Highway? I’m going next week and can’t wait – it looks darling. See? The power of word of mouth marketing, all because of a Yelp profile.

Can your business benefit from an updated Yelp profile? Did you know you can also post special events, specials and pictures on the site – all for free? 

Don’t forget you can ask for reviews after your customers have left. Andies Restaurant posted a request on Twitter last week asking if you’ve dined at its restaurant and to post a review on Yelp. As someone who sometimes forgets to do things like this, it reminded me to post a review as we happened to dine there last night for a family member’s birthday party. The waiter was absolutely fabulous not only with the adults but the kids in our party and the food was fantastic. That tweet reminded me to post a review!

How do you use Yelp? Is Yelp in your marketing toolbox?

~Megy

Connect with me on Twitter and sign up for our free e-newsletter from this blog by entering your email in the “Follow Blog via Email” or hit the “Follow” button on the bottom right-hand of the page. We’ll be posting Marketing Tips every Monday throughout the 2012 year as part of our Marketing Monday series.

Share This buttons makes it easy for our customers and clients to share our information to their network and requires minimal effort on our part. Simply include the social sharing buttons to your website or blog not only reminds your viewers and readers that they can share the information, it encourages them to do so by making it easy.

With a simple click of a button, your content can be shared via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, StumbleUpon, Tumblr and emailed, among other social media sites. If your content includes visuals, Pinterest quickly is growing a following as well. On a side note, if you’ve not yet heard of Pinterest, you can see my Pinterest boards and see how things are organized (warning, if you’re a visual person, grab your drink of choice and sit down for a while, Pinterest can be addicting).

If you handle your website and use sites like WordPress, many of the Share This button can be integrated seamlessly by simply checking off the “Show sharing buttons on this post.” on each page (Dashboard>Pages>All Pages>Click on each Page and see the radio bar at the very bottom of the page to check off). Here is an example of what my “Share” button looks like on the Karydes Consulting website (ahem, you’re welcome to “share” this post with your network, too!).

You can also use sites like ShareThis which will walk you through the steps to add it to your site. Alternatively, if someone else manages your site, ask the website manager to include the Social Media share buttons on pages that make sense for your site. Mashable included a great article on how to add social sharing buttons which is worth a read, too. The article discusses which buttons to include on your site since you don’t want to overload your site with buttons either as they can be distracting and counterproductive.

Do you include social media share buttons on your website? Have they worked for you? And, if you don’t, why not? I’d love to hear more thoughts on this topic!

*****

Connect with me on Twitter and sign up for our free e-newsletter from this blog by entering your email in the “Follow Blog via Email” or hit the “Follow” button on the bottom right-hand of the page. We’ll be posting Marketing Tips every Monday throughout the 2012 year as part of our Marketing Monday series.

Short on time and budget-sensitive, we are increasingly looking for third-party testimonials to help guide us in our decision-making. Right or wrong, these testimonials can sway our decision to try a place or not, based on our friends’ and even strangers’ experiences. Don’t believe me? Think about services like Angie’s List.

Which is all the more reason we should arm ourselves with positive testimonials from customers and clients and share them with others interested in our work. This is easier said than done for two reasons only:

1)    we have never thought about doing it before and

2)    some of us are afraid to make the ask.

The first is easy enough to overcome. If you are confident in your work and believe your customer is pleased with your work or performance, more often than not, the customer will be happy to provide you with a positive testimonial to use. If the customer is not happy, it is your job to find out why and correct that…but that’s another story.

The second is harder for some because, similar to asking for a raise, it makes them uncomfortable. There is no need to feel squeamish so get over it and get down to business. Word of mouth marketing is powerful and securing testimonials is among the best and inexpensive marketing strategies available to us.

How to Get Over Your Fear of Asking for a Testimonial

• Remember that most people like to help other people (if there is no negative cost to them).

• Remind yourself that the worst that can happen is that the customer says no. There are several reasons someone may not want to provide a testimonial aside from not being pleased with your work. It could be company policy or she is just not comfortable providing testimonials to anyone for fear it may imply endorsement. Regardless, thank the person for being able to service them and move on. There are plenty of others you can ask.

• Make asking for a testimonial part of your routine. In the service industry especially, there’s a last meeting with the client and that is usually the perfect time to ask for a testimonial. But there is always a good time – you just need to figure it out in your situation. If you’re a retailer, ask the customer to comment on your Facebook page or Yelp page. Same applies if you’re a hair dresser or auto mechanic.

How to Ask for a Testimonial

A colleague asked me to script her on asking for a testimonial so I’ve prepared a few that may work for you:

• “I’m really glad that you’re pleased with my work. Would you mind sharing your thoughts on our Yelp {or Facebook} page so others may learn about our services?”
• “Thank you for allowing us to be of service today. We’re delighted you’ve enjoyed working with us. As you know, we’re trying to get our name out to more people. Would you be willing to provide us with a testimonial that we can use on our website or marketing materials?”
• “I really enjoy working with you and hope you feel the same. Would you be willing to provide me with a testimonial that I can share with others who are interested in working with me and include it on my website?”

Keep the ask short and direct. Thank the person working with you first and then wait for a response.

Don’t expect anyone to write a testimonial for you on the spot. Rather, leave them a business card or ask them to email it to you. If you don’t hear from them in a week or so, follow up once to see if they are still able to provide you with a testimonial. More often than not we get busy and forget about it so a friendly reminder is usually welcome. After that, you may need to be patient.

The More You Ask The Easier It Gets and Stronger Business You’ll Have

Testimonials work for many businesses and most of us did not get into business because we’re wallflowers. The more testimonials you ask for, the easier it becomes to ask and the more testimonials you’ll receive. It’s a great way to build your business with very little effort.

Have you ever asked for a testimonial? And did securing a testimonial lead to more business? Share your thoughts and advise! We’d love to hear them.

*****

Connect with me on Twitter and sign up for our free e-newsletter from this blog by entering your email in the “Follow Blog via Email” or hit the “Follow” button on the bottom right-hand of the page. We’ll be posting Marketing Tips every Monday throughout the 2012 year as part of our Marketing Monday series.