In April 2007, NFL all-star quarterback Michael Vick pleaded guilty for illegal dog fighting. After serving a 21 month sentence Michael Vick returned in time for the NFL’s 2009 season and was selected to the 2010 Pro Bowl. The decision made by coach Any Reid to give Michael Vick a second chance paid off immensely. Now, as a manager or owner how can you make an Andy Reid decision?
There are some individuals out there that may look undesirable to hire from a paper perspective. One example is having a criminal background. Finding a job is already complicated with the national unemployment rate at 9.2% and having to compete with other talented individuals without a record. I have a friend in the St Cloud, MN area who is experiencing these barriers. He is a hardworking, family orientated, devoted Christian, struggling to find employment because of past indiscretions. In comparison hiring him would be like hiring a Michael Vick, his work ethic and ability benefit any company willing to give him a second chance.
If you are still not fully convinced and are still waffling because of the implied risk a person with a criminal background bears, try utilizing a staffing agency. Most staffing agencies participate in a temporary-to-permanent program which allows businesses to evaluate an individual’s work ethic, attitude and performance before making the decision to hire. Some agencies have standards and regulations for hiring employees with a criminal background and are more than willing to share their process with you. Reduce your risk and open the door, the opportunity to evaluate a potential All-Star is at your nearby staffing agency.
As a job seeker propose the temporary-to-permanent solution to a potential employer and prove the value you can add.
Has your business hired a Michael Vick or seeking an All-Star in the St. Cloud, MN area? If so; comment below.
As a business owner or manager, you are constantly deciding where to invest and allocate marketing resources. Before making your next marketing investment or decision, read HubSpots’ “The State of Inbound Marketing” research report. The report demonstrates the effectiveness of using blogs, social media and search engines for influencing business targets on a purchasing decision. Conversely, the traditional techniques of direct mail, telemarketing and trade shows are becoming less effective.
“The State of Inbound Marketing” surveyed 644 professional businesses’ marketing strategies. Each company recorded spending and distribution of marketing expenses in order to calculate the cost per lead. In this study, “inbound marketing” consisted of blogs, social media, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and PPC (Pay Per Click). “Outbound marketing” consisted of traditional marketing tactics, such as telemarketing, trade shows and direct mail. To understand inbound and outbound marketing more thoroughly, read Brian Halligan’s blog, “Inbound Marketing vs. Outbound Marketing.”
In the research report, outbound marketing amounted to an average cost of $373 per lead, while inbound marketing came to $143 per lead— an astonishing 62% lower cost per lead than outbound marketing. Looking at the graph below (courtesy of HubSpot.com), blogs were reported as the least expensive strategy, while trade shows and other traditional marketing tactics, along with PPC, ranked significantly lower. Although PPC had a lower cost per than telemarketing and direct mail, all other outbound approaches were significantly higher.
For greater customer acquisition and cost effectiveness, social media, blogs and search engine optimization are obviously successful factors for businesses. These techniques should be considered and implemented in all marketing budgets. Have blogs, social media and SEO been factors in your business’ success?
How many people do you know own a mobile phone? How many of them do not leave home without it? The mobile phone has become so routine in our lives most people feel naked or lost without it, being without it is like a missing extremity. The demand for the mobile phone continues to increase especially since mobile phones cater to all. The next time you walk down the street or are at the local grocery store observe the multitudes of people using their phones either talking, sending text messages, or even checking their calendars. There are almost 2.4 billion mobile phone users worldwide. This number alone is a good reason to focus on mobile marketing. There are also other reasons to use mobile marketing like increasing word of mouth, giving power to the consumer, and creating effective customer relationship management (CRM).
Marketers are moving towards mobile marketing. Understanding and awareness of technology is the first challenge toward mobile marketing, but justifying its worth is the second. The ability to stay on top of the continually improving technology is difficult and intriguing investors to accept these improvements can be even harder in this fluctuating economy. To be successful the campaign must be informative, entertaining or have social interaction.
- The first service is providing the information, which will answer consumer’s questions. With access to a mobile phone, the consumer can visit a company website to read feedback and reviews on in-store products or services. This simplifies consumers purchasing decision with a sense of security.
- Social interaction usually involves a user creating a personal profile of experiences, images, videos or just general thoughts on issues viewable to all or selected individuals via the internet. Social Networking sites are the most rapidly growing websites available. Users are connecting through websites like Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter. Each website connects users with one another allowing them to share rich media content, join similar groups, fan clubs, and more. Social Media creates a personalized interaction between readers, consumers and businesses.
- Engaging the audience in a type of entertainment will increase retention and the return rate. The Zynga Corporation that has developed hundreds of video games and according to their website there are over 50 million players. The majority of their video game connects players with one another through the social media websites. To finance games, Zynga relies on external business promotions and players to purchase special gaming points.
Conclusion
Mobile marketing seems to be the obvious way to keep in touch with consumers via mobile phones. It expands company’s range and target market with the instantaneous convenience. The cost efficiency speaks for itself. Companies can determine the extent of the mobile marketing campaign and customers can determine if they want to accept or decline these offers and updates.
Blogs are personal renditions of experiences with products, customer service or just general thought on issues viewable to all via the internet. Search Engines, Blogs and Social Media are the most utilized tools available for consumers to research products and companies and for companies to monitor consumer reviews. Blogs initiate a personalized interaction between readers, consumers and businesses.
The top three reasons to start a Blog.
- The price is right - Blogging is one of the most cost efficient marketing methods in the industry. Blogs provide you and your company the ability to share thoughts, photos and videos instantly with others. Several websites exits that allow a person to set up a blog within minutes and chose from a variety of templates to get you started for free. A non-localized blogging site listed is www.blogger.com where you can post your blogs on their site. My personal favorite site is an open source project called Blog Engine at www.dotnetblogengine.net; this site with the help of your technology department enables you to blog in the location that you want; for instance the home page of your website.
- Increase Traffic - Search engines like www.bing.com and www.google.com measure and rank your website proficiency based on inbound links to your website - from outside websites, then they account for outbound links to other website - from your website. Blogs also encourage people to return to your website so they can stay current with any updates or modifications.
- Interaction - The most important feature of a blog is that they create a viable way to listen to a greater quantity of consumer's opinions. Unlike other types of marketing tactics such as print media or email campaigns blogging permits instant feedback about opinions and offerings of relevant topics. Companies that decide to utilize blogs will have the advantage of knowing their customer opinions about their company and niche market and maybe glean relevant stories which will allow them the ability to tweak any processes and move forward in the future.
Convinced to start your own blog? Here is a helpful website which will direct you towards creating a successful blog www.problogger.net. You will find blogs can beneficial as a consumer and as a company. As you enter the world of blogging you will discover the other many benefits that blogging entails. Keep in mind that some blogs are personal opinions and should treated as suggestions not as legitimate facts.