I've spent part of my morning finalizing my plans to help promote Small Business Saturday. The annual program started by American Express to place focus on small mom and pop businesses the weekend of Thanksgiving is a great movement that more need to promote.
Small Business Saturday continues to gain attention, and revenue to those small shops that line every little (and not so little) towns in this country. According to an article written last December by Alvaro J. Soltero for Industry Beat, Small Business Saturday generated $5.7 billion dollars in sales for those participating merchants. That was up 3.6% from the prior year.
Awareness of the campaign continues to grow as well. Awareness in the program grew to 71% last year, compared with 67% in 2012. Maybe more importantly, 46% of those aware went out of their way to shop at small businesses the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
The article had some other great stats as well about the program. Details at: https://leaf.me/blog/the-numbers-are-in-small-business-saturday-2013-facts-and-stats.html
Clearly if you are working with small businesses, this is a no-brainer program to get them participating. The cost is free, and American Express does a great job of sending out promotional materials, marketing materials and more. If you are a media outlet, do what I did and become a neighborhood champion, and then create marketing opportunities around the event for your participating businesses. Signing up only takes a few minutes. Visit https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/shop-small/ and get ready for the big event November 29.
I cannot encourage you enough to find a way to support the locally owned, small business in your community. Sure, I shop at Macy's or Walmart. But I do try to find non-chain store opportunities as well. The stability of local media, local entities like chamber of commerce and something as simple as Main Street in every town is at stake, if we don't make sure local stores are supported.
Something as simple as a walk down a small town downtown area can be very eye-opening. As publisher of the then-daily newspaper Rushville Republican, I would walk down the street and see a decent variety of businesses trying to survive, trying to keep employees with a job, trying to keep paying taxes, trying to support local causes....you get the point. Sadly, a walk down through downtown Rushville today is stark even a few years later. I'm not just picking on Rushville, Indiana as you can experience similar vacant business fronts just about anywhere you go in small town America.
Just maybe with programs like Small Business Saturday, a few more of those vacant store fronts can come back to life, and with that keeping the American Dream alive and well too.
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
The past and the future of Sunday magazines distributed through newspapers
An old friend of mine hasn't been doing so well. We visit every weekend, usually on Sunday, and I've noticed the gradual decline. She still shows some signs of life every now and then, reminding me of how she once was. But those moments are fleeting.
That old friend is Parade Magazine. While the readership is still there, my old friend has seen a dramatic decline over the years, slowly declining as Sunday circulation does in the newspaper business. Today, my old friend was sold as Athlon Media Group.
My hope is this can be the shot in the arm this magazine needs, and deserves. Advance Publications has owned Parade Magazine, which was distributed in over 700 newspapers across the country. Parade's timeline dates back to 1941 as The Weekly Picture Newspaper, by Marshall Field III, founder of the Chicago Sun.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-parade-magazine-gets-a-new-owner-20140917-story.html
There is still hope for Parade, with the help of Athlon who is very familiar with distributed magazines via newspaper partners. And there is hope for the Sunday newspaper magazine.
Earlier this week, I read about a new magazine launching in California with over 400,000 circulation via newspaper Sunday editions starting October 5. "California Sunday" will be a monthly magazine with newspaper distribution as well as a strong digital presence. Started by Federated Media, I think this is a very solid idea.
Parade Magazine is national, and tries to be all things to all people. A regional piece such as "California Sunday" will appeal to the desire of people to read about, learn about and do things locally. This allows for compelling local content, which will make a regional magazine more appealing to readers. This will also appeal to regional advertisers, which has the potential for a different pool of advertisers with fewer competitors. How many regional magazines are there in California with a circulation of 400,000? Very few, and certainly less competitors than Parade has on the national level.
Details on the new magazine "California Sunday" can be found at: http://www.fastcompany.com/3035713/why-this-media-start-up-is-betting-on-print-newspapers
That old friend is Parade Magazine. While the readership is still there, my old friend has seen a dramatic decline over the years, slowly declining as Sunday circulation does in the newspaper business. Today, my old friend was sold as Athlon Media Group.
My hope is this can be the shot in the arm this magazine needs, and deserves. Advance Publications has owned Parade Magazine, which was distributed in over 700 newspapers across the country. Parade's timeline dates back to 1941 as The Weekly Picture Newspaper, by Marshall Field III, founder of the Chicago Sun.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-parade-magazine-gets-a-new-owner-20140917-story.html
There is still hope for Parade, with the help of Athlon who is very familiar with distributed magazines via newspaper partners. And there is hope for the Sunday newspaper magazine.
Earlier this week, I read about a new magazine launching in California with over 400,000 circulation via newspaper Sunday editions starting October 5. "California Sunday" will be a monthly magazine with newspaper distribution as well as a strong digital presence. Started by Federated Media, I think this is a very solid idea.
Parade Magazine is national, and tries to be all things to all people. A regional piece such as "California Sunday" will appeal to the desire of people to read about, learn about and do things locally. This allows for compelling local content, which will make a regional magazine more appealing to readers. This will also appeal to regional advertisers, which has the potential for a different pool of advertisers with fewer competitors. How many regional magazines are there in California with a circulation of 400,000? Very few, and certainly less competitors than Parade has on the national level.
Details on the new magazine "California Sunday" can be found at: http://www.fastcompany.com/3035713/why-this-media-start-up-is-betting-on-print-newspapers
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Five pieces of advice for today's business person from Mark Twain
Mark Twain is one of my favorite people from history. He was the eyewitness to amazing points in history, and was the voice of history for many of them with the words he penned during his lifetime. I recently watched a PBS documentary on his life, and have read a couple biographies on Sam Clemens. Currently, I'm reading his masterpiece "Following The Equator".
Clemens, or Twain --whichever you prefer, was not a particularly good businessman. Later in life, he had to continue lecturing and writing to pay bills rather than enjoy what we would consider a traditional retirement. In fact, Twain's business actions were so bad that despite being a highly paid writer and lecturer he had to file bankruptcy.
Perhaps that is the single best part of his character that I love. Rather than hide from his creditors through bankruptcy, he worked hard until every single creditor was paid back in full. How many of today's Hollywood elites would do such a thing?
And so a poor budgeter who made bad business decisions is a full of great advice for business people in the 21st century. There is no doubt in my mind, so without further delay here are some great nuggets of advice from Sam Clemens:
1) "The secret of getting ahead is getting started." -- Mark Twain
I know many friends and co-workers that have great ideas, but are afraid to take the chance and move those ideas forward. Some times you will fail, but that is OK. Fail fast and keep looking for that success. In business, you only have to be right once.
2) "Apparently there is nothing that cannot happen today."
I will likely never invent something that would require a patent. It is just not my thing to create something mechanical that will be of any value. But I have a creative mind that can dream of great and innovative ways to improve products and processes. Dream it and make it happen, especially in today's environment where innovations come flying at us so fast.
3) "If it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first."
Great advice, especially for sales people. You have a difficult customer to deal with, do it first thing that morning. That's way better than putting it off and dreading it all day. Or worse yet, putting it off and never facing the situation. This is also especially true dealing with difficult employees. Deal with them first and upfront. That's much better than putting it off, and off and off. Keeping bad employees around is much worse than that momentary pain of getting rid of them.
4) "It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog."
Taking on Walmart is crazy you say? Maybe if you're trying to beat them on price, but there are always opportunities to fight for your business. I think business is the ultimate competitive sport, and I love that! You have to pick your fights, but that is where the fun is at. Passion is under valued in many businesses today, but I think it is one of my best assets.
5) "Keep away from those who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you believe that you too can become great."
Probably my favorite Mark Twain quote, and one that I try to live by everyday as a manager. I found that quote during a time when my former manager / then colleague was flooding me with negative talk and energy regarding my desire to learn and grow. I realized that she was one of the small people Twain was referring to in the quote. My favorite part of business is leadership, and specifically helping my direct reports grow professionally. No matter where they go after they work for me, they are one of my employees. As they succeed, I share in those successes. As a result, I have been able to attract and retain really good employees, and even better people. Having that as a base for my business operations has obviously had a tremendous impact on the success of the businesses I've been a part in my career.
Clemens, or Twain --whichever you prefer, was not a particularly good businessman. Later in life, he had to continue lecturing and writing to pay bills rather than enjoy what we would consider a traditional retirement. In fact, Twain's business actions were so bad that despite being a highly paid writer and lecturer he had to file bankruptcy.
Perhaps that is the single best part of his character that I love. Rather than hide from his creditors through bankruptcy, he worked hard until every single creditor was paid back in full. How many of today's Hollywood elites would do such a thing?
And so a poor budgeter who made bad business decisions is a full of great advice for business people in the 21st century. There is no doubt in my mind, so without further delay here are some great nuggets of advice from Sam Clemens:
1) "The secret of getting ahead is getting started." -- Mark Twain
I know many friends and co-workers that have great ideas, but are afraid to take the chance and move those ideas forward. Some times you will fail, but that is OK. Fail fast and keep looking for that success. In business, you only have to be right once.
2) "Apparently there is nothing that cannot happen today."
I will likely never invent something that would require a patent. It is just not my thing to create something mechanical that will be of any value. But I have a creative mind that can dream of great and innovative ways to improve products and processes. Dream it and make it happen, especially in today's environment where innovations come flying at us so fast.
3) "If it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first."
Great advice, especially for sales people. You have a difficult customer to deal with, do it first thing that morning. That's way better than putting it off and dreading it all day. Or worse yet, putting it off and never facing the situation. This is also especially true dealing with difficult employees. Deal with them first and upfront. That's much better than putting it off, and off and off. Keeping bad employees around is much worse than that momentary pain of getting rid of them.
4) "It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog."
Taking on Walmart is crazy you say? Maybe if you're trying to beat them on price, but there are always opportunities to fight for your business. I think business is the ultimate competitive sport, and I love that! You have to pick your fights, but that is where the fun is at. Passion is under valued in many businesses today, but I think it is one of my best assets.
5) "Keep away from those who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you believe that you too can become great."
Probably my favorite Mark Twain quote, and one that I try to live by everyday as a manager. I found that quote during a time when my former manager / then colleague was flooding me with negative talk and energy regarding my desire to learn and grow. I realized that she was one of the small people Twain was referring to in the quote. My favorite part of business is leadership, and specifically helping my direct reports grow professionally. No matter where they go after they work for me, they are one of my employees. As they succeed, I share in those successes. As a result, I have been able to attract and retain really good employees, and even better people. Having that as a base for my business operations has obviously had a tremendous impact on the success of the businesses I've been a part in my career.
Thursday, September 4, 2014
31 billion digital coupons to be redeemed annually within three years
Mobile coupons continue to grow, which is not exactly breaking news I realize. According to Juniper, there will be more than 31 billion digital coupons redeemed annually within the next three years. And while any success coupon program should include a digital component, traditional print coupons still play a vital role.
Don't get me wrong, digital coupons are important. I'm not a dinosaur who is trying to ignore digital alternatives away. Quite the opposite. I find it exciting to work with customers on programs like digital coupons, and help them find success as this outlet explodes. Those digital coupons are quickly growing, are going mobile and are inexpensive. Nearly 3 of 4 (73%) of those coupons are on mobile devices, and 85% not printed at home.
I think it depends on the market, but I still find that newspaper coupon redemption is performing at a higher level than digital coupons. That is the case with coupons from inserts as well as from display ads in the newspaper. The newspaper reader is still a very desirable target, who has money to spend and relies on ads in newspapers to guide their spending. This is especially true with coupons.
But the times, they are a changing. As this article points out, coupons are starting to find consumers rather than consumers finding them.
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/233505/more-coupons-finding-mobile-shoppers.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline&utm_campaign=75831
Don't get me wrong, digital coupons are important. I'm not a dinosaur who is trying to ignore digital alternatives away. Quite the opposite. I find it exciting to work with customers on programs like digital coupons, and help them find success as this outlet explodes. Those digital coupons are quickly growing, are going mobile and are inexpensive. Nearly 3 of 4 (73%) of those coupons are on mobile devices, and 85% not printed at home.
I think it depends on the market, but I still find that newspaper coupon redemption is performing at a higher level than digital coupons. That is the case with coupons from inserts as well as from display ads in the newspaper. The newspaper reader is still a very desirable target, who has money to spend and relies on ads in newspapers to guide their spending. This is especially true with coupons.
But the times, they are a changing. As this article points out, coupons are starting to find consumers rather than consumers finding them.
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/233505/more-coupons-finding-mobile-shoppers.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline&utm_campaign=75831
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