Networking for Fun and Profit

I got 20+ solid leads during a two-hour networking event this week.

Sponsored by a CSI Chapter, there were about 45 table top displays from building product companies, and over two hundred attendees. The leads were generated by brief contacts in the exhibit space, in the lobby outside the meeting space, and even in line for the parking lot attendant afterwards. The leads created opportunities for follow-up phone calls or emails or generated new leads and introductions. On top of that, I got to say hello to dozens of other industry contacts to keep our relationships fresh.

You can create similarly high results at similar events. Here are five tools to make the most of networking events:

1. Know your goal: I went to the CSI event with the intent to interact with a lot of people, and I succeeded. But I may have had other purposes in mind. For example, I went to a party at a trade show for the specific purpose of meeting a potential client that I anticipated would be there.  He was, and I was able to get him to join me for a full hour at a table on the periphery of the event.

2. Be prepared for surprises: Be ready to change your goals as opportunities or circumstances arise. I was at one conference, anticipating an afternoon of glad-handing, when the conference organizer approached me and asked me to be on a panel discussion in place of someone that cancelled at the last moment. Instead of 20 1-on-1 conversations, I addressed an audience of 200. At another event, I was drafted to serve at the registration desk, and got to introduce myself to everybody at the show.

3. Ask others questions about themselves: You are itching to talk about your product or service. But start by asking others about their businesses, their families (if you have a personal relationship), or any new products/projects they have. Networking has to be a win-win situation, and your interlocutor must feel a stake in the conversation. More, his or her comments may reveal needs or opportunities that are openings to sales opportunities.

4. Get to the point: Everyone at the event is there for networking. So forget the small talk during business hours; save it for receptions and the lounge.

5. Get contact info and set up a follow-up: Carry more of your own cards than you think you will need. But be sure you know how to contact the person with whom you are speaking. Get permission to recontact the person when possible. This could be as simple as saying, "I'll send you XYZ with more info." or, "Would it be better for me to call you tomorrow or later in the week?"

To learn more about networking, sign up for this webinar offered by Ceiling and Interior System Contractors Association (CISCA):

How to Construct a Strategy for Networking at Conferences
Wednesday, March 12, 2014. 2:00p.m. ET
Free for CISCA members, $49.95 for others

Networking creates an opportunity and strategy to build and maintain relationships with current and prospective customers. Networking involves more personal commitment than company money. No matter how busy we are, we all still need to make time out of our schedule to network. It requires dedication on an individual level. This webinar will examine specific ways you can expand your network for yourself and your company.

Learning objectives:

• The Keys of Successful Networking
• Networking Etiquette: What works…. and what does not
• How social media can aid in your Networking goals
• Building and Maintaining the New Relationship by adding value

Click here to register.

Etiquette

If you are not an exhibitor at or sponsor of the event, don't be a carpetbagger. It may be a fine line, but there is a difference between doing sales and networking.

If you are networking with an exhibitor for purposes other than learning about his or her product, do it only when there is not a real prospect in or approaching the booth.

5 Tips for Managing Changing Social Media Trends

The internet is a constantly changing landscape, as fluid and changeable as the ocean. That's not news to anyone, yet we're still always surprised to see signs of major changes. Early adopters are already predicting the death of RSS, location-services are seeing check-in burnout even as they start reaching the mainstream, and even techies seem to be fleeing Twitter! This year has also seen serious shots taken at Apple, Facebook, Google, and MySpace, all once or former stalwart, seemingly permanent, fixtures of the internet.

All of them will eventually fade, either to disappear, resurrect with a new focus, or hold a small corner of their once-great empire. Remember when AOL was the biggest thing on the web? Remember who Jeeves was, or why you would ask him anything?

As we wrap up 2010 and finalize our plans for 2011, the best bet is to plan for flexibility. Here are five ways to keep your online marketing limber:


0. Goals and Strategy: Before we even begin looking at updating your marketing plan, take the time to review your goals for online marketing. Who is your audience? What are you trying to achieve? What is your brand affinity? How does this fit into your overall marketing plan? Encouraging people to subscribe to your newsletter requires a very different approach than convincing customers to do their purchasing online.

1. Measure Everything: Many social media tools are struggling to create useful, reliable metrics. We've pretty much accepted that page views are not the panacea we once thought, and "engagement" is powerful and useful, but essentially unmeasurable. That means you will frequently have to create your own measures, and those need to be based on your goals.  No one can cover every social media outlet, so don't waste resources chasing ones that don't work for you.

2. Designate a Marketing R&D Budget: There will always be a new thing to try, or a new tactic for an existing tool. Set aside a portion of your marketing budget to take advantage of those opportunities as they arise. Think of it as the experimental part of R&D; most of it probably won't pay off, but there's still value in that because it saves you from wasting more resources later.

3. Centralize: Ideally, each social network would have a customized message and method, but realistically for most small businesses that's impossible. Designate one part of your online presence as the centerpiece, and let the others point back to it. For Chusid Associates, it's our blog. All our social network profiles, e-newsletters, and websites point back to it, and we run most of our campaigns through here. There will still be Facebook-specific campaigns, or email-only offers, but using the blog as our centerpiece makes it easier to start using new social tools.

4. Follow Your Clients: If none of your clients - or prospects - are using Facebook, there's not much reason for you to be there. If all of them are on LinkedIn, you absolutely need a strong presence there! If next year they switch, so should you. Trying to be the trend leader takes more resources than most building product manufacturers can, or should, devote to the attempt.

5. Accept Change: Most important to maintaining flexibility is acknowledging that you will need flexibility. I stopped listening to one marketing podcast after listening to the host talk about TV ads because it became clear he wanted them to be as powerful as they used to be, and was twisting the facts to prove they were. It is crucial to base your decisions on analysis of the facts, rather than the other way around. The sooner you can accept a campaign is not working, for whatever reason, the sooner you can move to one that does.

A lot of the news is just hype; these technologies aren't going anywhere, at least not yet, and there is a big difference between "diminished" and "dead". Many commentators also see a change in the medium when really there's just a change in the packaging. TV's not dying; we still watch TV shows, we just watch them online. Chat's not dying, it just morphed into texting.

Regardless, change will happen. When it does, will you spend your energy fighting it or taking advantage of it?

5 Tips for Branding Your RSS Feed

I had a disturbing realization last night: I no longer know where most of the blog posts I read come from. As readers of this site will know, I am a huge fan of RSS feeds. I think RSS readers are one of the true heroes of the internet, and I have spent a lot of time customizing the feeds I get, frequency of updates, and display order so I get most of my news now in a very personalized, very useful format.

As I realized last night, it's possible I may have been too successful in setting my reader up. My realization was prompted by my wife mentioning a post I sent her from a particular blog. I remembered the post and I remembered sending it to her, but I had no idea I had read that blog that day. I read something and liked it enough to share it, and didn't know who wrote it.

Thinking about what had happened, I realized the problem was a lack of branding. Most of the feeds display within the reader, so I rarely visit an external site, and stripped of all the original website's branding. So how can you keep company branding in a post that will be stripped down to plain text? Here are five tips:

1. Continue offering full-text posts. Many blogs solve the problem by providing just the title and maybe a teaser via RSS feed, forcing you to visit their site for the body of the post. For sites that are ad-supported or have server limitations (as ours currently does) this makes sense. For most sites, though, I recommend against doing this. Posts have a much higher read-rate when readers do not need to go to another website, especially mobile users.

2. Include a distinctive signature. This is probably the easiest fix. Many successful bloggers have developed a distinctive sign-off line, signature, or logo (it has to be in the body of the post) that gets used at the bottom of every post. If I enjoyed a post enough to read all the way through it, I know who wrote it.

3. Use branded language. Got a particular turn of phrase you like? A good company slogan? Use them. More importantly, be consistent in the way you discuss your company and products. Do you sell "bricks" or "masonry"? Do you use post-industrial or pre-consumer recycled content? Hopefully you are already doing this in your marketing literature - if not, send me an email - and it's important to continue across your entire online presence.

4. Format post titles. I always know when I am reading one of the Gizmodo blogs because the posts show up like this recent post from Lifehacker: The Best Photography Apps for Your Android [Android]. The bracket tag at the end of the post sometimes gets silly, but it is a consistent element that I have learned to recognize.

5. Link to other pages on your site. When possible, link to previous posts or other resources on your website that pertain to the topic you are discussing. ReadWriteWeb is very good at this. Even ignoring any SEO benefits (see what I did there?) the links might provide, they serve a valuable purpose because when I click on one, it creates one of two effects: either I realize I am reading one of your posts, or I assume you are enough of an expert that some other blog is linking to your site. Either result is beneficial to you. Don't overdo it though; that gets tacky.

Most people probably do not subscribe to so many RSS feeds - yet - that individual blogs get lost in the tide. The people that do, though, are some of your biggest assets in a social media campaign. It is vital that they can identify the posts that come from you.

5 Tips for Good Product Photos

Getting high-quality, print-ready images from our clients is consistently the greatest challenge we face. Usually this is a problem because they don’t have a photo library for their products, or they do but it was “drive-by shooting” using a camera phone from their car. Having the photos ready to go also positions you to take advantage of unexpected opportunities, like magazine covers or product features. Hiring a professional photographer is often a wise investment, but for companies on a DIY budget, here are five key steps to get you started:

1. Invest in a camera: I don’t care how much you spent on your new cell phone or micro-camcorder; go invest in a good digital camera (I like the New Yorker's take on camera phones). Read online reviews to find one that fits your style and needs, but as long as they shoot 5 mega-pixels or better most of the current offerings will work.
2. Shoot raw images: Many cameras now have a raw or digital negative mode; in this mode the camera captures all available data in the image, rather than filtering or compressing the file. This is a huge benefit when it comes time to retouch the photos because it gives the graphic designer a lot more flexibility to crop, adjust brightness, reduce static, etc. These files are a lot larger, so carry extra memory cards.
3. Get all stages of a project: This includes before, after, and process shots of the project. It can also include testing, R&D, demos, and trainings; it’s amazing what shots can wind up being useful down the road. Some designers may just be interested in the “after” shots, with the pretty, finished product, but specifiers and engineers are more technically minded and will be interested in the details, and contractors will appreciate the “how-to” shots.
4. Get a variety of angles: Wide angle shots show the product in context of the project as a whole while close-ups highlight specific details and benefits. Having a mixture of both is very valuable. Shoot ing the installation from all approaches and different elevations can also produce some startlingly useful results. If you’re using a digital camera, there’s no cost for extra shots. Take a bunch, then sort through them and keep the best ones. Better yet, buy a new external hard drive and keep them all.
5. Look for related stories: Surprisingly often, the problem is not that we lack product or project shots, but rather the shots of raw materials used to make the product – which can be very important if you use recycled material – or the unique and challenging environment surrounding the project. What’s so special about this project? What about it changed because they used your product?

Once you have your photos, make them work for you. Use them in product literature and articles. Create an online gallery, and give the photos useful names, tags, and alt text. Architects tend to be visual learners, and respond strongly to stories told graphically. Properly developed and maintained, your photo library will become one of your best investments.

5 Uses For Location-Aware Technology

Location-aware technology is the current hot-topic in social media circles. As is the case with most new forms of technologies, the first crop of applications are essentially toys and games (Foursquare, Gowalla, Brightkite, CauseWorld, etc.). The most successful and useful location-aware programs (Yelp, Twitter, photo galleries) are primarily preexisting programs that added location features. Either way, the underlying technology has huge implications and potential. Here are five ways location-aware technology can be useful in building product marketing:

1. Geo-tagging Photos: Using location-data from the other side, photos tagged with location data provide an extra layer of information about the featured projects. As Michael is fond of saying, all construction is local. Architects don’t just want to know your product was used, they want to know it was used in their neighborhood, or one similar to it. Increasingly, photo gallery programs feature built-in location filters that automatically create “albums”, meaning architects can both flip through projects near them, and find the location of their favorite ones.
2. Create Project Tours: This is something Gowalla does well, demonstrating again that this year’s “toys” can become next year’s indispensable tools. Users can create tours, marking several of their favorite locations and linking to information about each. Use this feature to create a walking tour around towns where you have several notable projects; encourage your prospects to check-in at each (achieved by clicking an in-program button while at the location), and have a prize or coupon for those that visit all the sites. In addition to building engagement, this is a good way to advertise how much work you’ve done around town.
3. Job Signs: Similar to QR codes, geo-tagging is a good way to publicize your involvement in a project. While QR codes require active participation (users must open the program and scan the image), location-based ads can be more passive, popping up on maps automatically within a defined range. This can also create a permanent digital signature on your work, especially as the precision of these programs increases. Imagine getting a message on your phone as you walk through a building: “Look up! The light fixture shining on you was made by Juno Lighting”, with a link for more information.
4. Trade Show Ads: This is most similar to the typical retail uses of location-based ads. As show attendees approach your booth, a message pops up telling them about your new product and any special show offers you may have. Alternatively, you might list all the shows you are attending this year, and have special offers for people that check-in at more than one of them. This also works with allied products: attendees visiting a concrete polisher might receive ads informing them of near-by stain or cleaning product manufacturers.
5. Architectural Location-Based Network: Eventually I hope one of the existing networks will create architecturally-focused addons, or someone will create a location-based network specifically for the construction industry. In this network, buildings’ location-tagged profiles could tell users about materials used, design team, energy savings, and similar important information. Architects would gladly participate, both creating and viewing profiles, because they would enjoy the meta-level experience of seeing a building on so many different levels. Meanwhile manufacturers and contractors capitalize on the architect’s experience by linking their name to the project.

These uses focus on the social media-aspect of location software; there is an entirely different range of applications within design programs, combining BIM with location-aware software to improve many aspects of design and construction. I will address those in a future post.

5 Essential Social Media Tools for Manufacturers

With so many social media options available, the biggest challenge in starting a campaign is deciding which systems not to use. Most successful social media campaigns will be multichannel, but starting with too many platforms is overwhelming. For most companies it will work best to start with a small, focused campaign, and gradually grow to include new networks and technology. With that in mind, here are five tools I consider essential for a successful social media launch:

1. Photo Sharing: A recent study by Architect magazine found that most architects begin the design process by searching images online to find inspiration. I consider a good online photo gallery the most important, and most overlooked, part of your online presence. The big players right now are Flickr and Picasa. Photos should be clearly named and tagged to enhance searchability.  
2. Video Sharing: First the web was about linked documents; text. As bandwidth increased it became about graphics. Now the big thing is video; more importantly, it's mobile video. Estimates suggest over 200,000 new videos are posted on YouTube per day, and that number is growing. Installation videos, project case studies, and video product announcements are all great material for video. The goal should not be to create the next big viral video, but to provide useful, searchable video information.  
3. Blog: A major contributor to improved SEO, a forum for getting your message out, and a place to demonstrate your industry expertise; a successful blog is all of these. The topic of your blog is essential; if  it feels like an advertisement or a collection of links and fluff, no one will subscribe. But pick a topic that gets to the core of your message, and provide content that helps your audience do their jobs better, and you can build a community that sees every update, reads them, comments, and comes to you for more information.
4. E-newsletter: It may seem archaic given the range of media now available, but email is still one of the most widely used internet technology. Constant Contact estimates that 90% of internet users use email (personally, I wonder about that other 10%). As I've discussed before, creating a newsletter can be very simple; use the most popular posts from your blog, add in important news and upcoming events, and be sure to include links to the rest of your social media activities. Pick a regular update schedule and stick to it, and be a firm believer in opt-in marketing.
5. Wikipedia: Have you searched for your product category on Wikipedia? Does the page exist? If so, is your product properly represented? Remember that anyone can edit Wikipedia, so add your information if it's not there. Play fair, though. Wikipedia's community of editors will zap you if you don't, and the backlash can be worse for your reputation than missing information would have been. Read Wikipedia's guidelines, and when in doubt ask the community for help.

Conspicuous by their absence from this list are all the major social networking platforms. These networks can be very powerful tools for developing customer relationships with your brand, but for most buliding product manufacturers and reps providing useful content will be more valuable and beneficial than building a list of friends. Once you have developed content, however, use these tools to spread your message across the net.

Which social media tools are most valuable for your company?

5 Uses for QR Codes in Construction

I am giving a presentation today on QR Codes for the local AAF chapter. The question I get most, besides "What are QR Codes?", is "How can I use these in my industry?" With that in mind, we brainstormed a list of five ways QR codes could become useful in construction.

First, a word of explanation. QR codes are two-dimensional bar codes that are readable using smartphones or webcams. The essentially operate as a hyperlink that connects printed media to the digital world; scanning a QR code does the same thing as clicking on a link, and can provide most of the same functionality.

What does that mean? Here are five examples:

1. Link to Technical Information: This is the use I am most excited about. Imagine you are on a job site, trying to figure out how to install some new product. Spotting a QR code, you pull out your phone, scan it, and - BOOM! - the installation instructions and data sheets pop up. Contractors may not have internet access on job sites, but most carry a phone with a camera. Inspections could make use of this, comparing the actual site to the plans. Architects looking at the product sample sitting on their shelf can use it to get the guide specs in a single click.
2. Jobsite Signage: Many manufacturers have trouble figuring out how to display their company name and contact information on the job site. Complicating the matter, interested prospects may forget your name and phone number before they have a chance to call. Include a QR code on your signs, and they can instantly add your contact information to their phone book, open your website, or email a rep.
3. Emergency Contact Information: QR codes can auto-dial phone numbers, open webpages, or send pre-written fill-in-the-blanks emails. This could earn them a place on HSW sheets, making it easier to quickly reach poison control or emergency services. Or maybe they are directed to someone in your company, so you are informed of the situation and can respond appropriately. For that matter, they could even link to video first aid guides.
4. Project Information in Photos: Put a QR code on the page next to project photos, and readers can quickly access online information about the project. This could be a case study, real-time energy savings, or even a map with driving directions.
5. Sales Literature and Business Cards: This last one is not construction-specific, but it is important. Like with job signs, putting a QR code on your printed sales collateral and business cards makes it much easier for people to contact you, and therefore more likely to actually call you instead of just dropping your card in the trash.

QR codes are huge in Japan, and are just now reaching critical density in the US. Relatively new organizations like Semapedia.org encourage readers to "Hyperlink your world!" As adoption spreads, I anticipate many innovative uses within our industry.

How would you use QR codes in construction? Tell us in the comments.

5 Essential Press Kit Pieces

Trade show season is in full swing, with the AIA show last week, NeoCon this week, and preparations getting under way for Greenbuild (you have started preparing for Greenbuild, right?) and once again I am amazed by the number of companies, exhibitors even, that do not put out a press kit. Or even worse, have an ineffective one.

Creating and maintaining a useful press kit does not need to be expensive or time consuming. If you have active year-round publicity then you probably already have every thing you need, and can add or replace using the newest releases and articles. But even starting from scratch it should be a pain-free experience.
First, a word on using press kits. I prepare kits with two ends in mind: providing print-ready materials for interested editors, and important sales tools for prospects or investors I meet at the show. There is a lot of debate about using folders full of printed materials versus customized flash drives, but either way you go your press kit should contain the following five pieces:

1. Photo Sheet: A one-page document with thumbnails showing print-ready (300 dpi or better) photos you have available. For a digital press kit you might have the actual image files or a slideshow as well; I still like the contact sheet because it gives editors a one-stop way to review our images. Also, I like to have them contact me to get the photos, or visit a website I am tracking, so I know who is using them and can follow up. Remember to include file names so editors can tell you which ones they want.
2. Product Announcement: The construction industry has a very generous definition of "new", which means you can get away with "new product announcements" for your 5-year-old products. Even for established lines, this is a piece editors can drop in a "Product Gallery" without any trouble. Keep it to 75 words tops, with your company boilerplate and contact info below.
3. Recent Press Releases: If you do not have any, this is a great excuse to put out a few. Done something new and exciting? Write about that. New certification, or an exciting project? Great. Nothing of note happened at all this year? Then celebrate another successful year in business during a down economy. These should be 200-400 words, focusing on a single idea.
4. Current Sales Collateral: This is more for the press kit as sales tool. Any brochure or flyer you have at your booth should also be in here. Technical data sheets or guide specs can also be a nice touch, if done well.
5. Show-Specific Information: This is the one most press kits forget, and the one that devastates their effectiveness. Be sure to include contact information for you at the show. Include your booth number, a cell phone or email account you will be checking regularly, any show special offers, and a schedule of events (press conferences, educational seminars, receptions, etc.). Press kits do no good if interested prospects and journalists can't reach you until after the show. Include a separate page or put a sticker on the front; just make sure it's there.

In the past, I kept a stack of folders near my desk, ready to go with these essentials, and would customize one before every important meeting. Now I do the same thing electronically, keeping a loaded flash drive I can afford to give away in my computer bag. There are other elements it is nice to add later, such as feature-length articles, backgrounders, and audience-targeted sales literature, but this is what you need for your bare-bones kit.

What's in your press kit? Tell us in the comments.