GirlMogul Blog

Influencers - Nike plums many different worlds to keep the hits coming. Here is an interesting article in the WSL about how the CEO of Nike plums many different worlds to help in designing limited edition shoes that are designed to appeal to a (for Nike) microscopic market. These limited edition shoes often retail in the after market (think eBay) for many times the initial sales price.  These shoes are often designed by up and coming artists and sold through independent retailers as opposed to Foot Locker. And you would probably never see these on LeBron James. 

It’s an interesting idea, and one on a smaller scale that can work for a small business.  Not so much in getting custom designed products that appeal to a niche audience, but in identifying your niche audience, the taste makers for your product, the early adopters, and using them to get the word out.  Think of them as a special group to market to a special way.

How?

First of all, create a list.  Add all of your friends and family.  Then think through your product.  Say you are a new florist in town, trying to break into a crowded market by providing unique upscale designs – not just your average Happy Birthday bouquet.  You would want to target people who a) can afford the upscale designs and b) people who would buy your designs and either display them in place with a lot of traffic or who would send them to other places.

In this case, you may want to start to comb the local paper for charity events and find out the organizers, chair people, and start marketing to them – offer to donate for the event, or if you missed it, say you would be happy to for next year.  Send a congratulations bouquet to the chairperson – these people are usually selected for their wide network of people – they are influencers.  Say someone gets a promotion and it’s in the paper – send a bouquet.  It doesn’t have to be the priciest one around, but make sure if showcase you’re unique value proposition.  And include some information on why your flowers would be great congratulations gift to someone else.

So in brief, you need to build up your circle of influence, the people you want to target with flattery, bribery and samples who will go out and tell others about your product.  Keep them happy, know them, know their interests and causes, and track your results – so they don’t just suck you dry.

Check out GirlMogul Marketing’s homepage for our marketing services and www.girlmogul.com to see our work.

Posted by girlmogul at 09:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Interesting article about marketing on Second Life in the WSJ.  Haven’t heard about Second Life?  It’s a virtual world where you can set up a Sim (a simulation of you) and create your own world. It’s the ultimate in living out your dreams.  You can pick the way you want to look, live where you want, have a cooler job.  There is a whole economy to Second Life in which users pay real dollars to buy things from other users.  Of course you’re paying with Second Life dollars, but if someone wants to set up a clothing shop in Second Life, they can design there own clothes, stock the shop and I, in my Second Life personae can buy the clothes.  Apparently one woman is a millionaire from Second Life sales.

Pretty nifty. Huh?  Before you get any ideas I would venture to say that the millions have already been made, and that marketers who flocked to Second Life to set up virtual stores mimicking their real life goods are now retreating.  They’re investigating other virtual worlds that are more targeted to their audience or in some cases creating their own virtual worlds tied to their brand for fans.

What does this mean for you the small business owner?  Not to go setting up a virtual world, since that is cost prohibitive.  But it is thinking along those lines by looking at your current marketing efforts and seeing what you can do.  Start with your website – how can you create a virtual world for fans (customers) of your business?  Can you add more content about something relevant?  Think out of the box – if you’re a restaurant maybe you want to start a  recipe corner.  Feature a recipe from customer.  If you sell tile, maybe you want a page for all the different tile types – this doesn’t need to be hard – you should know the information or be able to get it from your manufacturer. 

Maybe you’re a local business and you would rather start a community page of news and listings about town…

More pages increases your sites “bulk” for search engines.  Fresh content will keep coming back.  Look for ways to reuse contact in an email or regular newsletter.  Even if it doesn’t get read in it’s entirety, simply seeing the From name in an inbox can be enough of a refresher. 

Posted by girlmogul at 07:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

GirlMogul Marketing is a marketing and PR company focusing on small businesses.  We provide a full array of services including newsletter content, creation and list management and blog marketing.  We love women entrepreneurs who are just launching or want some help to take their business to the next level.

GirlMogul Marketing is born out of my experience working for a Big 4 consulting firm, in product development at a high growth tech startup and most recently, in launching the media company – GirlMoguls – encouraging designs for girls. 

I have worked at big companies, small companies and as a solo entrepreneur. I have managed teams of all sizes to ensure project success.

GirlMogul Marketing is looking for a few good clients – are you just thinking of a new idea?  Have you created a product and are now looking for help in getting the word out?  Have you spent time doing some marketing and PR but find that you can’t focus on it amid the daily grind?

Let GirlMogul help.  We can take over email marketing, or regular newsletter marketing. We can develop a personal media strategy to promote your name and your brand.  Interested in blogging and social media but don’t know where to start – we can help with the technology and content issues.

Want to find out more about our services and our introductory packages?  Check here.  Want to see examples of our work?  Check here

Keep reading for more posts on the business of being small…

Andrea Stein

Andrea@girlmogul.com

Posted by girlmogul at 08:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

“If your efforts are sometimes greeted with indifference, don’t lose heart.  The sun puts on a wonderful show at daybreak, yet most of the people in the audience are sleeping”

-         Ada Teixeira

Hmm – I see the sun rise all the time – that’s what having a 9 month will do.  I do feel unappreciated – not from kids, or my husband, but from work.  I think it’s supposed to be the opposite for working parents – positive feedback comes from work, where there are set deadlines, expectations and penalties and rewards.

But oh no, not here – no one has said thank you for the one-time project (so a lot of things were moved out of scope and the project was a wee over budget), but the limited set of functionality worked.

So while might not hold it up as the cover story for success, you would think a simple thank you for the effort but in, and the commitment to keep slogging away would be made by the higher ups.  But no.  Silence.  I guess that goes along with the end of the free soda perk.   Are these signs things are on a downturn, or is corporate praise disappearing because of a lack of general courtesy or because no one wants to take the blame for declaring victory too early?

Support a GirlMogul in your life – Buy a t-shirt.  GirlMogul – Encouraging Designs for Girls

Posted by girlmogul at 09:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I was just reading one of the Wall Street Journal’s Blog – LawLife.  And as usual I found the posting to be interesting and relevant.  It was about Women and their rush to exit big law firms because of the high demands (hours, time away from kids) and the “alternate” (read more family friendly) law careers they are flocking too.

Of course I read it with interest – even though I am not a lawyer I am interested in how professional women integrate work and family.  And there was some good stuff in there, especially if you were a lawyer – the contract law positions that pay pretty well and allow you to choose flexible schedules (10-50 hours, chunks of time vs. long term part time).

But what I always find most interesting are the posts – some of the venom in there is just amazing – “Women can’t expect to have it all.”  “How nice that these women are in a position to choose to work less for less money.”  “Why should the big firms have to change?”  “Just shut up and deal”  etc.

It seems to me that there is so much rancor out there between the haves and the have nots (not about money, but about things – lifestyle, work arrangements, a well-incomed spouse, a stay at home spouse).  It’s as if, in order to feel good about the choice one has made, you must hurl insults at all other choices to bolster your position.  Not good – smacks of fanaticism – and we know where that leads…

Support a GirlMogul in your life – Buy a t-shirt.  GirlMogul – Encouraging Designs for Girls

Posted by girlmogul at 09:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The October issue of Country Living came in the mail the other day, with a beautifyl, sinful looking chocolate cake covered in a orange glaze on the cover.  The perfect piece t to set the mood for Autumn – boy was I tempted.  Tempted to try my hand at cake creating.

I get this way every year around with the change from summer to fall.  Someone the idea of cooking, baking, nesting seems very appealing.  I want to feed my family.  So I try.   I go through cookbooks for elaborate recipies.  I try my hand at complicated cookies and cake decorations.

As a working mother, am I compensating?  I mean, really, especially with all the trained professional pastry chefs out there, why should I even attempt to bake.  They probably need me to buy a cake from them way more than I need to bake it.  And quite honeslty – all that time, all that mess…and all you have is a cake full of calories.  Since my kids are too little to enjoy the process of cooking – I shudder to think of the mess and the danger, I am going to do what any sensible, girlmogul would do – outsource.  I am supporting my local bakers – I will buy my cakes!!! (But I will gaze longingly at that Country Living Cover until the November).

Support a GirlMogul in your life – Buy a t-shirt.  GirlMogul – Encouraging Designs for Girls

Posted by girlmogul at 09:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I recently read an article about the upcoming TV season (How Lame, I know),  that talked about the new crop of powerful women on TV.  “Strong Women Eveywhere on New TV Shows”    Lamenting the long departed Buffy and Alias, the writer speculated on the newest set of shows featuring superheroes, the Bionic Women, and power career ladies (Lipstick Jungle, Cashmere Mafia).  The writer said that while all of the women seemed relatively comfortable with their positions of power – no lamenting the corner office, they all seemed to be less lucky in love.   Seems like the man (the TV man) is once again telling us we can’t have it all – successful at work, unlucky on the personal front – divorce, bad choices, etc.  No of course, romantic strum and drang makes for good tv – and who doesn’t like to watch other people’s relationship issues.

So is the media really pushing forward? Are they celebrating strong women, or are they patting us on the back with one hand and stabbing with the other, by showing women as powerful in work and powerless in their relationships? Are they perpetuating the myth that men don’t really like to settle down with strong women?

Thoughts?

Check out Girl Power designs at GirlMogul – Encouraging Designs for Girls of All Ages…

Posted by girlmogul at 09:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)