The Book of Lists – an annual publication released by local affiliates of American City Business Journals – provides a snapshot of the best industry performers from the previous year. It’s a great networking and business development tool; however, many people don’t know how to effectively use it. To help demystify it, here are four ways you can use the Book of Lists 2011 for your benefit over the next year.
Prospecting – Match up the names on the list with your current clients and prospects to make sure you’re not missing anyone that may be a good fit for your company. And remember -- the Book of Lists ranks growing companies, so one that may not have been a good prospect before may be a good target in 2011.
Database Building / Research – The Book of Lists provides great basic information about each company, including company contacts, number of employees, company profits, office locations and more. This can help you build effective databases for a wide range of targets, including prospects, vendors, suppliers and executive contacts.
Event Planning – When you need a caterer or venue for an event, you can leverage the Book of Lists. You can use it to pick vendors and venues and solicit multiple bids to find the best fit for your event budget and size.
Job Hunting – Executives and new college grads should use the Book of Lists to hone in on target companies. You can develop lists based on different rankings, including growth, highest-paid executives and top industry performers.
If you have a clear goal in mind and take a little time, the Book of Lists can be a valuable resource of essential information on leading local businesses.
Posted:
3/31/2011 12:27:27 PM by
Sarah Zomper | with
0 comments
I always thought Yelp was solely a place for consumers to rant about how awful they think businesses, restaurants and stores are. But after listening to Vince Sollitto, Yelp’s Vice President of Corporate Communications, speak at an American Marketing Association event a few weeks ago, I understand that Yelp is much more than a ranting place – in fact, it can also be a useful business tool.
How? Yelp gives you access to useful reviews and the ability to personally engage reviewers.
Access to useful reviews
Businesses utilize social media to monitor what is being said about their brands, but they have trouble finding reviews that are useful. Businesses waste time and effort searching for helpful remarks and, in the end, they are often unsure of the quality of the content they are reviewing.
Yelp, however, usually provides valuable content and here’s why:
1. Yelp engineers implemented an algorithm called the Review Filter, which protects business owners from fake and shill reviews. It’s a pretty cool tool, and they are always updating it. To find out how it works, click here.
2. Eighty three percent of the 15 million reviews written to-date rank businesses with three stars or higher (which is a neutral to positively glowing review). This statistic signifies that a majority of the reviews aren’t coming from a bored kid trying to sabotage a business or just be annoying online. Instead, they are made by actual consumers who are willing to share good reviews with the bad ones.
3. In January 2009, 94 percent of Yelp reviewers were over 23 years old, meaning that a majority of reviewers on Yelp are consumers out of college, likely with jobs with higher incomes. This is an audience that might fall closely within your company’s target audience – you want to hear from them.
Engaging reviewers
Not addressing a customer service or product problem can jeopardize your customer relationships, so Yelp provides the option to respond to reviewers’ comments and even gives tips on how to do so. Letting your audience know that their voices have been heard and you are fixing a problem establishes goodwill and protects your company’s image. You can also utilize this engagement opportunity to ask reviewers in-depth questions, thus discovering viewpoints you might have not considered.
Yelp also provides the option to leave private comments to reviewers. However, I suggest you engage reviewers with public comments so everyone can see your goodwill efforts to improve your services.
Not convinced on the effectiveness of reviewer engagement on Yelp? This video shows a business owner explaining how engaging through Yelp helped his business.
What do you think is most useful about Yelp? Yelp about Yelp by leaving a comment below!
Posted:
3/30/2011 3:54:05 PM by
Sylvester Palacios | with
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Pierpont is pleased to feature the following guest post from John Pitts. One of the most influential lobbyists at the Texas Capitol, Pitts is Managing Principal of Texas Star Alliance, an affiliate to Pierpont Communications.
My mentor, former Lt. Governor Bob Bullock, used to talk about his love affair with Texas. He loved Texas so much that he had this carved into his headstone: Only death will end my love affair with Texas. But what about the New Texas, with the proposed budget cuts on the table? Would Governor Bullock still have his long-running affair with the New Texas?
What does this New Texas look like? Here’s a peak into the future – based on the present:
- Currently, compared to the other states, Texas ranks third from the bottom for state spending per resident. In the New Texas, our ranking will drop even lower. After this legislative session, even less money will be spent on the citizens of Texas.
- In the New Texas, children born in Texas may or may not be US citizens. Children born in Texas may or may not be allowed to attend our state-supported public schools, colleges or universities. Children born in Texas may or may not be allowed to live in rental housing. Children born in Texas may or may not be able to obtain medical treatment.
- In the New Texas, either we will release a greater number of prisoners early, raise the charge and require more prison time, or go on a building spree and continue our top ranking among states with the most people in state and federal prisons.
- In the New Texas, we will raise our ranking of eighth in the nation for the number of state residents living below the poverty level. Currently, over 17 percent of Texans fall in this category. With educational opportunities diminishing for our young Texans, good jobs will be replaced by lower hourly wage jobs.
- In the New Texas, as our colleges and universities become more expensive to attend and financial aid becomes harder to obtain, more of our youth will be unable to obtain a college education. Today only 25% of Texans over 25 have a college degree.
- In the New Texas, as salaries decrease and cost of living increases, fewer Texans will have the opportunity to be homeowners. Today Texas ranks 45th in the United States for homeownership.
- We rank second in the country for the number of state residents who are below 18 years of age. We are a young state, but in the New Texas, are these Texans going to be equipped for the modern world? Will they find themselves competing for jobs on the world stage rather than along Main Street?
- Currently, over two-thirds of Texans are either obese or overweight. In the New Texas, are we going to be an even fatter state with obesity-related diseases plaguing Texans and burdening our state Medicaid coffers? As reimbursement rates continue to drop for doctors treating Medicaid patients, fewer doctors will accept these patients.
- If our children and grandchildren are able to go to a college or university in the New Texas, will they be safe or will they be dodging bullets as we allow students to bring guns on campus?
- Currently, Medicaid pays over 50% of all births at a cost to the state of over $10,000 per birth. In the New Texas, will our state resources be depleted as this number increases?
- In the New Texas, will our air be safe and our water drinkable?
It appears to me that this is the direction for the New Texas. It can and must be reversed.
Proposed budgets cuts across the board will lead Texas in a new direction. Without additional sources of revenue to the state and without using the Rainy Day Fund, draconian cuts will lead us to the New Texas described above.
Texas can do more with less if we are committed to be smarter: to work smarter, to educate smarter, to eat smarter, to be smarter about our own health and healthcare delivery and to be smarter about how we allocate the state’s resources.
I love Texas. The best days for Texas are before us...I pray.
Posted:
3/28/2011 10:38:31 AM by
Guest Blogger John Pitts | with
0 comments
As a website designer, it’s important I keep up with the latest interactive design trends. After all, website design is constantly evolving with new technology and interesting ways to improve user experiences and audience engagement.
I enjoy reading about what other designers and programmers predict will be the future trends of web design. Although their ideas can be all over the place, there are usually a few common elements. For 2011, the word on the street is…
Mobile compatible. This is a no-brainer. Smart phones are predicted to outsell personal computers in 2011. More people are turning to their mobile devices to get their news and information – not their home computers. From a designer‘s perspective, this leaves a lot of questions. For example, will traditional navigation change (i.e. scrolling from left to right instead of top to bottom)? What about touch screen websites or thumbnail navigation? How will we make mobile sites user friendly while keeping them well designed and consistent with their brand and main site?
Less is more. In others words, a two to three color scheme is the new max. Too much is, well, too much! This has always been a great rule for graphical elements and text.
More White Space. The white space gives the eye a break and helps important elements stand out. Websites today have more and more white space to make reading through the growing content easier and less intense on the eyes.
Social Media is a must – and it must be designed into the site. Obviously, you must give your audiences a way to connect with your brand through Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, etc. But now, designers are being asked to include these new social media tools into the designs they’re creating. A simple logo won’t do. You have to truly integrate it into the site in an organic way.
Customized typography. Why use a standard web font when you can now use more elaborate – and better designed – fonts online? In the past, you only had a couple font choices that were web compatible, but Typekit is changing that – and this gives website design a major advantage. I really hope this one catches on. Check it out at
http://typekit.com/.
HTML5 and CSS3
HTML5 and CSS3 are new emerging codes. A few of their exciting programming and design features are:
- They make it easier to add video to your site without the use of plug-ins;
- You have better design options such as rounded corners, shadows, better color and gradient options; and
- Web forms look more professional and are easier to implement.
Although they’re still in their draft stages, some browsers (like Safari) are already implementing their features. These new codes will become more popular as they’re finalized and more designers and programmers explore their possibilities.
So in the end, 2011 will be a big year in web design – all these new trends will help you keep your web designs in style and functional. Have your own thoughts on web trends? Add your comments below.
Posted:
3/25/2011 3:53:35 PM by
Tracy Price | with
0 comments
Every industry has an awards season. For communications firms, it’s March, so awards entries and nominations are top-of-mind for us right now. In my last post, I gave
four tips on entering industry awards programs that will help your firm hear, “Congratulations!”
But what do you do with an award after you win?
If finding a place for your shiny new plaque or trophy in your office is your only concern, you’re missing out. If promoted correctly, an industry award shows the world that your company is at the top of its game. Here are some tips to help you show off your latest awards.
1.
Spread the news. It seems obvious, but many companies fail to do this properly. Post the news of your win on the homepage of your company’s website and social media pages. Encourage employees to share the news on their own social networking sites. Reach out to local media and inform them about the win. Mention the win in your next enewsletter, or develop a custom eblast to announce it. There are a million ways to let people know you won – you just have to tell them.
2.
Make the award standout. Wherever visitors spend the most time in your company’s office – such as the lobby or a conference room – that’s where you want the physical award to be. Every guest should know your company gets recognition for its work.
3.
Consider its long-term use. Some awards, such as a Business Journal Fast 50 or Best Place to Work award, deserve a permanent place in your marketing materials. Including the logo of the awards program in your company’s communications adds third-party credibility to whatever you have to say. And don’t forget to add the logos to the “About Us” section of your company’s website and boilerplate, too.
4.
Make a win a sell. Mail or email an announcement with a case study of your award-winning work to current prospects. If the awards program has multiple categories, host a congratulatory luncheon at your office to find out how fellow winners can connect you to new leads or industries. Turn the win into a networking opportunity.
5.
Share the joy! Finally, if your win involves client work, don’t forget that this is their win, too! Involving your client in the promotion of your company’s win can help build their business along with yours. Plus, it is a unique opportunity to strengthen your relationship with your client.
What other award promoting tips can you share? Add your comments below.
Posted:
3/24/2011 2:08:40 PM by
Danielle Urban | with
0 comments