1. Great content. It’s no longer adequate to produce content-it must be great content. The Web is becoming flooded with content, and the task is to filter through to find the most relevant content. The way to produce great content is to be clearly focused on your target’s needs, and to communicate as briefly as possible, with links to expanded resources.

2. Video replaces podcasts. If you are only now considering adding podcasts to your content-stop. Video is becoming the medium of choice. Slick productions are not required, and for an investment of less than $2,000 you can have studio quality hardware (video camera, backdrop, and lights). Use software programs that are already part of your PC or Mac; with a little practice, or a savvy intern, you will produce effective videos.

3. Use Social Media Wisely. The tendency to dive into Social Media should be tempered with a well thought out strategy of the business purpose it will serve, and its cost in manhours.

4. The pure sales model will change. The Web is changing the balance of power from seller to buyer, as the buyer has more resources for information. Counter-balancing this will be the increasing pressures on buyers to perform more tasks, which will demand more of their time. The emerging sales model will require sales to use Web-enabled tools to provide buyers with new levels of service that were traditionally delivered during sales calls. Automated inventory alerts and instant messaging of new products are two examples.

One thing will never change- the need for strategic management. The increasingly rapid pace of business seems to scream for action and tactics, but both need to be tempered and managed through the deliberate and disciplined practice of business strategy.

Christmas Card 2009

We all have important work to do. I am proud to send you this message from Episcopal Charities of Long Island.

Merry Christmas.

We drive ourselves to build a successful business only to realize that business success is not always enough. In some cases, it may never be enough. So it is important to understand why we drive ourselves so hard in the first place.

It’s all tied into our personal objectives. Business is supposed to serve the business owner, not the other way around. Our vision, however, can get easily hijacked. Growing sales, larger volume, and a bigger bottom line may seem like success until we realize that it’s simply not enough. Success, we come to learn, is defined by what it means personally.

To some, business success means creating a better work/life balance, where the fruits of labor can be enjoyed. It may mean sharing more with employees. Frequently it translates into successfully handing the business over to a new generation of management, often within the family.

These “triggers” are why Kraft Associates exists: to help the business owner achieve his or her personal goals through the success of their business. Our approach is a unique blend of business wisdom, practical business skills, and a belief that the human resource is the most valuable of all resources.

Here’s how we help business owners.

• Clarify goals and help state a vision that is motivating to all employees.
• Provide a wide business perspective that helps understanding and decision-making, and a vast library of teaching aids and programs.
• Organize all business resources (human, financial, physical, and management resources) into a simple and easily implemented plan.
• Develop strategies that directly address the critical elements of the business plan
• Help keep the business owner focused and on-track.

Most assignments include:

• New methods to grow profits.
• Training management and key employees in leadership, communication, and team building.
• Establishing standards, disciplines, and policies that emphasize excellence and continual improvement.
• Building core practices such as sales and marketing.

One of the great pleasures of doing what I do is helping business owners go beyond business success to reach personal success.

The 5-S Process is a process for cleaning and organizing your workplace.  The 5 S’s are: Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize and Sustain. Read Part 2 here.

In this tough economy, one of the buzzwords that you may be hearing more often is Lean.  What is it?  Becoming Lean is a systematic effort to eliminate all waste in your business using ideas and techniques that evolved from the Quality movement of the 80’s and 90’s.  While running Lean is a great idea, it’s not a new one.  Being a Philadelphia area company, I have to point out that Lean ideas can be traced back to Benjamin Franklin’s “Poor Richard’s Almanac.”  You’ve all heard the expression, “a penny saved is a penny earned.”  He also talks about the ills of too much inventory in “The Way to Wealth.”  These ideas grew and were refined in the manufacturing arena by Henry Ford, the first to mass produce automobiles.  More recently, the specific tools used in Lean thinking grew out of the Toyota Production System.  So, what defines a “Lean Operation?”  Let’s start with some definitions. Read Part 1 here, written by my fellow associate Bill Drexler.

Summary
A company succeeds when it consistently delivers value to its customers and employees. This article focuses on delivering value to customers.
To deliver value in today’s environment the entire company management team must become increasingly customer-focused. This is best accomplished through a new, broader, and more demanding view of marketing. Because the business owner is the sole individual with the perspective and influence to make this happen, he or she must consider expanding involvement in the marketing process, either personally or through the internal development of high potential individuals. This is becoming increasingly important as inbound marketing and social media, new disciplines that require new knowledge, rapidly expand their impact in today’s marketplace. Read the entire article here at the Kraft Associates website.

See full details in this post by Vedran Tomic in Small Business Trends.

1. Business information on the web must be consistent accurate, accurate and up-to-date

2. Claim and Verify Your Listing

3. Consolidate your presence on Google Maps

4. Categorize like a champ

5. Describe remarkably

6. Add pictures and videos

7. Add details (Hours of operation, payment options, additional details)

8.Use coupons (or other incentives) to track response

9. Spread the word in sites and directories

10. Get Reviewed

The Rule of 5 for B2B Content Development | Marketing Interactions Blog | Online Marketing Connect. The rule of 5 is that each and every content development undertaking should produce content assets that can be used at least 5 different ways…

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The two biggest mistakes are Too Little and Too Much. Too Little refers to ignoring strategic marketing (based on objectives, strategy, and analytics) for tactical marketing (typically based on media tactics such as print and email). Tactical marketing should not begin until strategic marketing is in place. Too Much refers to paying too much for services, such as SEO and website development, without managing them to ensure that they are directed toward corporate objectives and that the vendor is delivering what is promised.

Track Government recovery spending by state and county. I did a quick search for my county and was amazed at what I found.