April 2015

Go Back2Go Forward

A few years ago, I realized I had started a company without having a full understanding of the best systems to put in place. As the firm grew, things were done in ways that seemed to make the most sense. The business expanded, new clients joined the portfolio, and employees were hired. With the success of the company, comes a concern of becoming stuck in our ways. Companies that live by an "it's the way we've always done it" mentality often find themselves way behind the times.

You hear "it's the way we've always done it" a lot with established companies, but even fledgling creative organizations can slip into that routine.

There I was, a relatively new business owner, with the sudden realization there may be better ways to do certain things. Not sure how to break that pattern, I decided to make a phone call.

To Mid-Michigan4The Answer

Almost 25 years ago, I did business with an ad man in Saginaw, Michigan who always seemed to have it together. (He'd bristle at me writing that.) He was cordial to me; kind really - and in many ways he took me under his wing and spoke some powerful things into my life - both personally and professionally. We stayed in touch through the past few decades though we hadn't seen each other in person. Sam Britton answered hard questions and let me bounce my situations and crazy ideas off of him. I continued learning.

‍

‍

About eight months ago, we formalized an arrangement with Sam since he had retired from the advertising game. Basically, we've hired Sam to give us honest feedback. He ends up being sort of a quality control step in our creative process. He's also one of the most talented writers I know and has a fine attention to detail.

We had a missing step and an old friend, who's a trusted advisor and a gifted man, was there to fill a hole in our organization. Helpful resources are often in plain sight - sometimes they can come from days gone by.

February 2015

Close2You

Right next door.

That's where the downtown Roanoke headquarters for a major regional company is located.

For the past few years we've been doing work for Boxley Materials Company. This isn't a piece about one of our clients, rather an interesting study in how business development, building a network of referring partners, and the power of the internet has made our really big world incredibly small.

We share an office wall with Boxley, but more importantly we share a trusted advisor. Sarah Huddle from the Albright Group works with clients up and down the eastern seaboard. She has roots in Roanoke, but is located in Richmond. For years we've supported her company's efforts and she recently turned to us to partner on a series of projects for Boxley.

Partners4Development

Think about the path involved in finishing this major project...

Boxley, my work neighbor, hired the Albright Group in Richmond who brought B2C Enterprises (Roanoke) into help with a specific project. We then turned to our business partner WebArt (Toledo, Ohio) and jointly developed a web site marketing program for Boxley. Our businesses are linked together by experience, expertise, and need. But the foundation is the relationship. That relationship - interwoven with trust - has driven business for everyone.

‍

‍

We're all less than six degrees from our next business opportunity... and Kevin Bacon.

We're all over the Eastern Time Zone - each doing our part - no longer bound by proximity. Think about where your next new business opportunity will come from. It could be next door or from a town far away.

It's a small world after all.

March 2015

Distractions4Good?

There are so few things that unite us anymore. Attention is spread pretty thin and most people seem to have their own interests, passions, and activities.

In the workplace that often means competing agendas and different directions.

However, March of every year brings one specific activity that breaks this pattern. They are called "Brackets". Those silly sheets of paper that have the NCAA College Basketball tournament pairings with the top 64 (okay 68 now) teams in the country competing for the championship show up at offices all around the nation.

Bosses don't like them. But even the bosses are typically writing in their predictions for who will win the various games that take place all over the country in March and early April. They are a huge distraction - and so are the first round games which are frequently televised during daytime work afternoons.

Partners4Development

While I am not promoting gambling at work, there may be some good that comes from these brackets after all.

‍

‍

It's a commonly held opinion that productivity drops dramatically during the NCAA tournament because employees are distracted and focused on basketball and how their picks are going.

Believe it or not, there are articles out there about how productivity actually increases during March. In part it's because people have something in common and interesting to discuss. Joe from accounting can chat with Susie in I.T. about how their picks are doing. And everyone can commiserate about the choices they made that missed.

In a sense it's a community. Many people far smarter than I have looked at the impact a community atmosphere has on overall production. Generally it's a powerful driver. So - separated we accomplish what we do, yet when united we will typically get a lot more done. These brackets somehow unite us.

So this year try something counterintuitive. Have some fun with it, rally around your team, or at least look the other way. It's more than a distraction, it's a potential culture-builder and most of your employees are seeking community in their lives and in their work.

January 2015

Write4Growth

In the five years or so of writing these monthly columns I've been asked a lot of questions and been given a lot of feedback. Therefore, I assumed my readers understood my reasons for sending the B2Seed. Then it occurred to me I could use the B2Seed as a topic of a B2Seed.

‍

‍

Wow. That's Deep.

Except it's not - it's really quite simple. Naturally, I like to write - hopefully you can tell that from the energy that goes into delivering some value to you with these monthly pieces. But it's far more than just being an outlet for my dormant passion for creative writing driving this work. I send these out to you as my own way to keep my company and our work in front of you on a regular basis.

It's a form of top-of-mind awareness that has proven helpful to our company through the years.

Applied2You

Whether you are a good writer, a good speaker, or have some other talent, it's important to have a plan and work on some sort of regular new business outreach. Monthly has been comfortable for me. I know others who like to blog daily or some who speak to groups quarterly. The interval isn't nearly as important as the act of a consistent communication.

It's the same structure that has proven so successful for so many of our clients who practice regular advertising, marketing, or public relations.

People don't always need your help, that's true. When they do, you want to make it easy to find you. With potential B2C Enterprises' clients, they know they are at most about four weeks away from hearing from us again. In addition, they can quickly pull up an old issue or look us up online.

Value. A Pause. A Chance to Connect.

December 2014

Wisdom4Me

It's been nearly nine years since my mother, Mary Sue Bryan, died.

I constantly think about the many things she taught me over the years. But most recently, one lesson in particular has come to the surface.

It's especially meaningful now that I am nearly 50 years old. She would say, "You have to learn something new every day." Followed by, "You can't go to sleep until you learn something new."

Whether it was through reading or listening or perhaps even watching TV, I'd figure out a new concept then smile and say to mom, "I can go to bed now."

‍

‍

Learn2Grow

It's easy to get into a routine. Patterns - good and bad ones both - form before we know it. Before too long they simply become the "way we do things around here". The fastest way to break a routine is to learn new things. As we get older that gets harder to do - not because there is less to learn, but because our approach has been grounded and formed.

New concepts. New forms of media. New ways to message and advertise.

All these options leave us with a basic choice.

Do we keep doing what we've been doing and stay comfortable with the way we've always done business, or do we embrace learning and stretch ourselves? Careful... that's a trick question. You don't really have a choice. You have to adapt and you must embrace learning and the new. Otherwise, you'll be swallowed up and your business left behind. So go ahead and try it. Learn something new.

Then you can go to sleep.

November 2014

Plan4Success

How will you use your marketing budget this coming year?

Recently, I've run into a particularly large number of businesses who are trying to do this on their own. TV? Digital? Radio? Newspapers? Magazines? Direct Mail?

Not to mention ad specialties, shopping carts, and all kinds of other options. Our team does this for a living and it can be a lot to keep up with. It's hard for me to imagine business owners tackling this on their own. Especially when deciding where to advertise is really only half the battle - and possibly not even the most important half...

‍

‍

Look22015

Finding the most effective way to get your message in front of the right audience is essential. However, using the same advertising mediums you've always used is not a surefire way to grow your company anymore. Once you're confident of where you'll advertise, it's time to figure out what to say to your clients, patients, and prospects.

I spend a lot of time on the road - usually around 22,000 miles a year. When you're in your car as much as I am you notice things. To top it off, I'm in advertising so I tend to pay closer attention to ad campaigns more than most. Invariably the radio commercials, billboards, and outdoor advertising that best capture my attention use room and space to provoke my thoughts.

They interrupt me.

Lamar Advertising (the billboard company) does a particularly good job. Their self-promotion catches my attention. Then I wonder why they don't work harder to convince their advertisers to use similar simple messaging.

How about you? Where will you advertise next year? And what will you say?