Communication Presentation at Santa Fe Business Incubator Discusses 2012 Realities
September 24, 2011 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
Seasonally New Mexicans turn off swamp coolers and winterize their homes in October. The fourth quarter with its
cooler temperatures requires a different approach for comfort.
Similarly, businesses might evaluate communications in preparation for the New Year. The realities presented by 2012 demand a freshened marketing approach.
Traditional marketing plays the numbers game. It uses sales, advertising, promotion and public relations to send the message out.
The average person gets more than 2,000 outbound messages a day.
Trade shows, direct mail, television, radio and print advertising, all examples of traditional marketing, continue to lose effectiveness.
Studies show today’s customer chooses inbound communication, finding information on their terms. Can your business meet the demands of “real-time?”
In a presentation to clients at the Santa Fe Business Incubator, I listed five communication realities represented by these changes:
- Because of the attention economy, now more than ever, your message must be defined and honed for your ideal customer.
- Smartphones already play an important role in our lives. How mobile-friendly is your business?
- New tools to consolidate information emerge daily. Your competitive advantage may well depend on your use of technology.
- Interactivity is essential in all communication. This means the brochure website is dead. Not only must your website be interactive, but business must make responding to customers online and offline a priority.
- Nothing substitutes for smart goals and good planning. Begin now to define your benchmarks for 2012.
Evaluate your business against these five realities. On a scale of one to five, with five being strong, how confident are you about your current situation? Download the pdf now. Are you prepared?
Five Social Media Truths You Need to Know for 2012
August 25, 2011 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
“Business more than any other occupation, is a continual dealing with the future.”
- Henry Luce
If you’re considering how social media will impact your business in 2012 attend a free infoByte session “Current Trends with Inbound Marketing and Social Media,”sponsored by UNMCE, University of New Mexico Continuing Education 5:15pm – 6:30pm Tuesday, September 27, 2011.
Presenter Mary Ellen Merrigan discusses the real problems encountered when solopreneurs and micro business owners plunge into business on the web and offers suggested solutions.
With more than 52% of companies world-wide now using social media, there’s no question of its viability. Business owners must increase social media effectiveness.
If you’ve held back because you don’t yet have a perfect strategy, or, if you’ve procrastinated about pursuing social media, this presentation is for you. Understanding these simple truths prepares you for the coming year.
Local examples and case studies offer practical solutions anyone can implement. Mary Ellen provides a simple and clear “how-to.” She presents the importance of action.
The “Five Social Media Truths You Need to Know for 2012” include:
- Explosive growth leads to channel fatigue
- Content continues to gain importance
- Tools to manage social media proliferate
- Boost website traffic through interactivity
- Plan tactics to increase success
Each truth contains a “silver lining,” identified as a specific action or series of action steps to combat the problems the truth represents. Examples from a variety of industries show the value of knowledge and planning.
All attendees receive worksheets as well as tip sheets with additional tools and resources.
Details:
Title: Current Trends with Inbound Marketing and Social Media: Five Social Media Truths You Need to Know for 2012
Date: Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Time: 5:15-6:30pm
Place: UNM CE, South Building, 1634 University Blvd NE
Fee: No charge to attend. RSVP required
Business Visibility: What works now?
May 4, 2011 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
Social media rules if one believes the headlines. At one point during reporting of Osama Bin Laden’s death, Twitter
logged more than 4,000 tweets per minute.
Yet, according to Jeremiah Owjang, Industry Analyst and Partner for Altimeter, 41% of all businesses are reactive, not proactive when it comes to social media.
Local experience bears out national statistics like these. Consider the bed and breakfast operator who now uses only Facebook to promote. Or, the feed store now building an email list as well as a Facebook page. No print. No local advertising.
Has social media killed other methods of advertising? Or, are businesses merely reacting to the mode of the day, hoping for dramatic results?
In a presentation for the Albuquerque Independent Business Association’s Local.Lunch.Learn, Mary Ellen Merrigan talks about strategies to successfully navigate today’s gaggle of marketing channels. She draws on stories from locals as well as national case studies to create actionable and pragmatic solutions.
Details:
Location: Slate Street Café
515 Slate Ave NW
Time: 11:30am – 1:00pm, Thursday May 12, 2011
Title: “Facebook, Twitter, Flyers and More – What’s Working Now?”
Reservations required
About Mary Ellen Merrigan
Mary Ellen wrote and published The Six-Week Marketing Master Plan to guide small businesses through the marketing maze. The revised e-book, published in March 2011, serves as the basis for an ongoing series of classes designed to guide individuals through their own marketing plan. For class information, contact the South Valley SBDC. Mary Ellen continues to combine social media with other more traditional channels. She regularly consults with small business owners including some of the best known names in Albuquerque.
Advance Your Career With Social Networking
April 5, 2011 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
If you’re eyeing a promotion, an impressive title, or a bigger paycheck, social networking could be for you. Dozens of articles touting the benefits of social media make it clear this is more than a passing fad.
On the other hand, if you’ve put your profile up on a number of social networking sites and “nothing has happened,” it could be time for a reality check.
In a presentation for the Administrative Professional Conference, Mary Ellen Merrigan discusses the phenomenon of being everywhere and going nowhere.
“Marketing Yourself with Social Media” presentation takeaways include:
Five simple steps you can take immediately to unleash your persona on the world
A list of best practices for each step
Tips to define your brand across all channels
A guide to identifying your communication channels
Timing, tools and tactics to help your effort succeed
Mary Ellen works with a variety of business professionals to combine new methods of marketing with more traditional ones. She emphasizes quality over quantity and shows individuals how to stand out in a cookie-cutter world. Her presentation includes real-world case studies and ideas you can implement immediately following the presenation.
It’s not too late to take charge of your online reputation. Enroll in this seminar and discover how.
The 2011 Administrative Professional Conference features four tracks: Workplace Tools, Taking Care of Yourself, Creating a Healthy Workplace and Finding a Different Workplace. “Marketing With Social Media” is scheduled for 10:45-12noon on Tuesday April 26, 2011.
UNM Continuing Education presents the 10th Annual Administrative Professional Conference April 26-27. Access more information or register online.
Marketing with Social Media Course Slated for March
February 17, 2011 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
The combination of moving faster and being connected 24/7 means one thing: you must be more clear in your communication.
Social media provides an opportunity to directly connect with customers, vendors, potential employers and friends. Frequently, the proliferation of social channels and the lack of a cohesive strategy dooms the effort before it begins.
Marketing with Social Media, a nine-hour course from UNM Continuing Education puts you in a position of choice. The three-session course will help you:
- Realistically assess where you are and where you want to go
- Explore social options that complement current strategies and serve your purpose
- Understand how major social media channels best serve their participants
- Explore the ever-changing world of Facebook Pages (formerly called Fan pages)
- Identify the differences between Profiles and Pages on Facebook, the number one social media choice, and review communication strategy differences for the two
- Gain knowledge of resources to automate and systematize your social media experience
- Develop a strategy for choosing your communication channel and making it more successful
- Review examples of best practices to solidify thought processes
Details:
What: Course # 55623
When: Wednesdays, 6pm – 9pm – Three sessions, March 16, 23, 30
Where: CE South Building, 1634 University NE
Price: $229
About the Instructor:
Mary Ellen Merrigan specializes in practical and sane marketing strategies for small business owners. She offers realistic solutions customized to each participant.
Workshop participants say:
“With Mary Ellen as guide, I learned how to navigate the tsunami of marketing strategies, how to create a marketing plan for my business and most important, how to stay true to myself. Get her eBook, but take her course or get her as a consultant. For it is Mary Ellen herself that brings the magic, that inspires, that helps you probe deep into what makes your business unique. And, the best part is that she models what she teaches. She is authentic. Thank you, Mary Ellen.” – Gail Summers
“A great place to start marketing your business with social media.” – Victor Lopez
“Extremely useful for initiating business strategy for social media.” – Janet Bridgers
Mary Ellen continues to keep abreast of the ever-changing world of social media. She has two social media certifications and just completed a two-week Facebook Page training course. For special questions, connect with Mary Ellen via email.
Untangle the Marketing Knot
January 5, 2011 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
Stymied by marketing?
Fed up with social media that sucks your time and offers little or no return?
Disgusted that your competitor got a feature in the local paper and you did not?
Tired of hearing promise after promise about the four hour work week as you put in 40, 50 or 60 hours of effort?
You’re not alone.
It’s time to stop the insanity. Do something different. If your New Year’s resolution involves changing your marketing results, look no further.
“The Six Week Marketing Master Plan” untangles today’s many marketing channels. (Disclosure: I collaborated with designer and web specialist Maria G. Nozza to produce the book in 2009.)
A group of dedicated consultants and coaches is now working through the program. Revision 1.11 launches later this month.
During the past year dozens of professionals have used this system to set and achieve marketing goals. They’ve produced detailed marketing plans customized for each of their businesses.
The Six Week Marketing Master Plan gives structure and streamlines efforts. Participants learn a systematized method to customize collateral and define tactics for visibility.
A new group now forming begins the week of January 24, 2011. For details, complete this contact page.
Each participant receives the revised, expanded and updated Six Week Marketing Master Plan. Classes, limited to 10, meet weekly for three hours.
Six week classes also begin in March and April.
“This program helps you sort and prioritize so you know which business efforts help you succeed,” commented author and facilitator Mary Ellen Merrigan.
“Don’t let another year pass without accomplishing the marketing goals you choose.”
Build Practical and Sane Social Media the DIY Way
October 8, 2010 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
Floating down endless Facebook streams?
Lost in Tweets?
UnLinked? Dug out? Dropped?
Is your time online simply frittered away?
Do you wonder, “What’s the point?”
The answers are here. In a seminar entitled “DIY Social Media: Get Strategic, Get Results” Mary Ellen Merrigan discusses today’s most-talked-about marketing channel, social media.
The free, two-hour workshop is sponsored by the South Valley Small Business Development Center.
You’ll learn:
- Why Facebook is the foundation of social efforts
- How Twitter pumps up visibility
- What FourSquare, Yelp and Groupon mean to brick and mortar stores
- Why getting strategic matters
Details:
10a-12noon, Wednesday, October 21, 2010
Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce
1304 Fourth Street Southwest
Call to register: 505-248-0132
DIY Social Media: Get Strategic, Get Results! offers practical and sane strategies for an online world. All participants receive a Best Practices handout.
Mary Ellen Merrigan has developed successful, sales-building D.I.Y. (Do it Yourself) smart marketing strategies for a wide range of clients promotes the benefits of combining traditional and social media. She is the author of “The Six Week Master Marketing Plan: An hour a day to take your business to the next level,” available online at http://www.sixweekmarketingplan.com. Join Mary Ellen to learn how you can use smart marketing to achieve a positive bottom line.
City-sponsored Workshop Helps Local Businesses Do Smarter Marketing
August 18, 2010 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
85% of all marketers say social media efforts generate exposure for their business.- 65% of marketers have only been involved with social media for a few months or less.
- The number one question marketers most want answered is how to track social media return on investment.
–Source: 2010 Social Media Marketing Industry Report, Michael A. Stelzner, SocialMediaExaminer.com
As a local business you can’t afford to ignore the social media phenomenon. You must: conquer the time drain, decide exactly where you will focus your efforts, and act immediately to claim your share of the market.
In a presentation entitled “Social Media: Get Strategic, Get Results,” Mary Ellen Merrigan positions social media for local usage. The 45-minute presentation includes:
- Best practices for Facebook pages, the hottest social media turf out there today
- Examples from Albuquerque businesses making effective social media efforts
- Tip sheets you can use to elevate your brick and mortar visibility starting immediately
“Social Media: Get Strategic, Get Results” is part of a half-day marketing and communications workshop sponsored by the City of Albuquerque Business Center. The purpose of the business resource center in city hall is to make the daunting job of starting and growing a business easier.
The workshop, presented 8am – 12:30pm, Tuesday September 21, 2010, at the WESST Enterprise Center, 609 Broadway NE, includes these additional offerings:
Tom Carroll, Carroll Strategies “Basic Marketing 101 – The ABC’s of Marketing
Doug Turner, DW Turner, Inc. “Press Release 101 and Earned Media – How to achieve successful PR”
For more information or to register, call 505-768-3222.
About Merrigan Group
Mary Ellen Merrigan, owner of Merrigan Group LLC, has developed successful, sales-building D.I.Y. (Do it Yourself) smart marketing strategies for a wide range of clients and promotes the benefits of combining traditional and social media. A known marketing trainer and speaker, Mary Ellen recently published “The Six-Week Marketing Master Plan,” a workbook offering a step-by-step guide to marketing. Learn more at http://www.sixweekmarketingplan.com.
The immediate past president of Albuquerque Independent Business Alliance, (AIBA) Mary Ellen knows well the problems facing today’s entrepreneurs. She delights in presenting practical, low-cost solutions that help you achieve a positive bottom line. Follow her blog, ProfitMeister, for DIY smart marketing strategies.
Get Strategic, Get Results! DIY Social Media
August 9, 2010 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
If you’ve ever asked, “What’s the point?” this seminar is for you.
If you’re positive you could do than ask people to buy, this seminar is for you.
If you’re not sure that your time online is well-spent, this seminar is for you.
In the second workshop of a three-part Do-It-Yourself series for the Albuquerque South Valley Small Business Development Center, (SBDC) Mary Ellen Merrigan discusses social media for entrepreneurs.
“Get Strategic, Get Results!” provides guidelines for business owners who want to do more than simply get on board with social media.
- Learn why engaging customers online is a must.
- Transform your efforts with five big “Best Practices.”
- Build your foundation for Facebook with 10 tips for using a Facebook page.
- Discover when to hire it out, and what you should know before you do.
To get effective you may only need to tweak your current efforts. Find out more in this free, two-hour workshop sponsored by the South Valley Small Business Development Center.
Details: 10a – 12noon, Tuesday, October 20, 2010 at the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce, 1304 Fourth Street Southwest. For additional information or registration, call 505-248-0132.
Mary Ellen Merrigan has developed successful, sales-building D.I.Y. (Do it Yourself) smart marketing strategies for a wide range of clients promotes the benefits of combining traditional and social media. She is the author of “The Six Week Master Marketing Plan: An hour a day to take your business to the next level,” available online at http://www.sixweekmarketingplan.com. Join Mary Ellen to learn how you can use smart marketing to achieve a positive bottom line.
Get Visible Marketing With Social Media
March 24, 2010 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
Like most entrepreneurs (and solopreneurs in particular) you tend to tackle multiple problems at once. And you do it in addition to running the business.
No surprise then you’ve been dipping your toe into the world of social media. But who has the time to figure it out?
What does it mean to your business? How can it help? Can it help?
Face it. Social Media is now mainstream. If you haven’t implemented a comprehensive social media strategy now is the time to do so.
In a three-part series for UNM Continuing Education Mary Ellen Merrigan explores social media for today’s business.
“Marketing With Social Media” is presented 6pm – 9pm on three consecutive Mondays, April 26 through May 10. You’ll explore these ideas:
- Why social media is the new “MUST” and which social media is right for you
- Review best practices for social media
- Learn the three ingredients to produce better results regardless of your social media choice
- Discover why Facebook is the new powerhouse
- Examine Twitter and how to use it effectively
- Develop a social media roadmap
- Create a social media implementation plan
Request class #55623: Marketing With Social Media through UNM Continuing Education, offered through the Digital Arts Department.
55623 Marketing with Social Media
Expand awareness for your business by combining traditional and online media. Market 24/7 with an Internet storefront showcasing who you are and what you do. Learn about a range of tactics that can help you stand out: Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, plus social bookmarking, blogs, YouTube and many other options add exposure to your website. Take charge of your Internet reputation. Focus on strategies for distinguishing your company from that of your competition.
Mary Ellen Merrigan presents high-content, practical ideas in easy-to-learn ways. She gets high marks as a facilitator/presenter. Participants get questions answered and leave with plans that can work immediately in their business.
Recent comments include:
“Mary Ellen is vibrant and refreshing, makes learning much more exciting.” – Vicki Goss, USPS
“Mary Ellen is very professional and I felt very informed to new opportunities in marketing.” –Sandra Day-Peck, Moses Design Group
“Your workshop was informative and easy to follow. The recommendations you made can also be easily utilized in my business.” –Philip Thal, Laht Communications
“I appreciated the practical tips that Mary Ellen provided.” – Kim Marko, New Mexico Legal Group
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