How To Study Consumer Behavior!

In the marketing field there are many ways of finding more information out about your target market and the consumers that would be buying your products. Two of these ways are:
• Surveys
• Focus Groups

Both of these types of research studies are used jointly with communication. The marketer needs to talk to the people face to face, or over the phone. Either way the marketer needs to be professional and needs to know how to handle a situation without being inappropriate with his/her mannerisms and communication skills.

The first study is a survey, this is a research procedure used for collecting, analyzing and presenting large amounts of raw data during an interview. By going this route the marketer can get all the information he needs from asking in depths questions with more detail. The marketer needs to be straightforward when speaking and make sure he/she covers all the topics and main points of the product. Surveys help the company gain statistics from the consumer population and see where the product would sell best.

The second form of study are focus groups, these are groups of eight to twelve people involved in a discussion led by a moderator skilled in persuading consumers to discuss thoroughly a topic of interest to the researcher. Compared to a survey this form of study can probe very specific aspects of how consumers prepare to buy, decide to purchase, and use the product. By doing this the marketer can find exactly what the consumer is looking for when they are in the store deciding what they want and which product is best for there needs. The marketer in this instance needs to speak very clearly and listen more to the consumer to determine what they are really thinking of when shopping.

Both of these forms help the company greatly before letting a product go out to the stores. The company knows prior to the release whether the product is going to sell or not. After these studies they can go back and alter the product to what the consumers exactly are looking for.

Giving a good Presentation

In your career you may come across a time when you have to perform a big presentation. Presentations may seem a little scary, especially if you’re the only one presenting, but if you do everything correctly it’s really quite easy. I am going to show you some simple steps on how to perform a solid presentation.

Your purpose
Before you begin you must determine your purpose. Ask yourself some simple questions like the ones below.

• What do I want my audience to learn?
• How is my presentation benefiting the company?

After you have a general idea of your purpose, write a purpose statement. The purpose statement is the answer you have to the questions above. It shouldn’t be more than one sentence and make sure it’s clear and concise.

Analyzing your audience
It is very important to know what audience you will be presenting to. To find out more about them consider their experience and attitude on the subject, education, and what questions they might ask. This will help prepare you for an effective and reaching presentation.

Structuring your Presentation
After you have all the information on your topic, you need to put it all down in order. You need to first have an introduction. Make sure the introduction stands out and addresses all the points in your presentation. People generally remember the opening and closing best so do a good job at giving an overview of the subject. Next have a body explaining each point you made in your introduction. Show demonstrations and examples to help the audience have a clearer understanding. Lastly, you’ll need to have a closing. Sum everything up in a lasting way that will leave an impression.

Then you’re all done! Hope this helps and don’t let those big presentations scare you anymore.

Using Social Networks as a Basis of Business Communication

Nowadays, more and more businesses are using social networking websites, such as Facebook, to communicate online. These sites are being used to communicate amongst employees, communicate to customers, and also to recruit new business and/or employees.

One of the greater advantages of using social networking sites in organizations is that they are usually cheap and sometimes even free sources of communication. There are also limitless possibilities of the amount of people that can be met through these sites. With businesses keeping up with new technologies, they are enabling connections that can be made with other businesses or customers from all over the world.

When trying to reach customers, creating a page for your business on Facebook, for example, would make it easy to communicate with and advertise to customers. Compared to other types of advertisement, customers could always look up the website or go online and view information about the company at their leisure.

Social Networking sites are also a great way for employees to communicate between each other. When the phone is busy or email seems to be out of reach, employees can use a site like Facebook to keep in close contact with fellow associates. Facebook also allows multiple conversations between more than two associates with the ability to comment on each other's pages.

While social networking sites are very popular and are now being praised for helping businesses in communication and growth, there are a few things to be careful with. Because of the large exposure to these sites, such as Facebook, businesses must be extra careful with their use of wording and also with the behavior being represented on their sites as to not offend potential customers or business partners. Businesses could be misunderstood and their reputation could be on the line as a result.

Communicating with a Customer

In any job the most important person is your customer. The person who is going to use your product or service is the person with whom you need to most thoroughly and effectively communicate. Good communication with customers often overlaps with high-yield marketing, as the same strategies cause one to result in the other.

There are many ways and opportunities you have to communicate with a current or potential customer. Following are some common avenues of communication, and the pro’s and con’s of each. Customer preference is key, so asking which way they would most like to be contacted is highly recommended.

EMAIL

Pros:

• You can type faster than you can talk and really think through what you’re saying before sending it.
• It’s convenient
• Creates a written record of conversations with clients.

Cons:

• Customer may not check their email.
• Customer might misunderstand a question and not be able to answer the information you need.
• Can sometimes lack that important personal touch.

PHONE

Pros:

• Restores the human contact that email does not have.
• Aids communication by clarifications that might be misunderstood in emails.

Cons:

• Possibility of not being able to reach customer
• Be a potential time waste

FAX

Pros:

• May be too busy to sit at a computer and open document after document.
• Provides a quick hard copy that they can take with them.

Cons:

• Fax may not be turned on, which means they wont receive it right away.
• Line may be busy and fax won’t go through.
• If fax is a public machine, confidential information may be at risk.

There's an old saying: "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." Let your customers know that you care about communicating with them - their way. Asking not only adds another level of customer service, but can be the difference between a one-time customer and a long-term client.

Understanding the Principles of Business Communication

Understanding the Principles of Business Communication-

Business communication, especially the correspondence among people within organizations or between those people and their clients or customers, is essential to the success of individuals and businesses. Because of their importance, such communication should be well written; those that are not waste time and money.

Selecting the Appropriate Medium and Form-

Important as they are, letters and e-mail messages are not the only means of communication available to businesspeople. You can choose from a wide array of possibilities, including:

• e-mail
• instant messaging
• fax
• voice mail
• videoconferencing

In addition to more-traditional means of communication, such as:

• letters
• memos
• telephone calls
• face-to-face meetings

In selecting the appropriate medium, first consider the context, audience, and objective of the communication.

Negative Messages and the Indirect Pattern-

Communicating bad news is sometimes necessary in the workplace. Doing so effectively can benefit the writer and the professional image of any organization. As with any type of writing, consider how your audience will react to your message. Research has shown that people form their impressions and attitudes very early when reading letters. At the same time, bad news is easier to accept when the reasons behind it are explained first. For this reason, presenting bad news or refusals indirectly is often more effective than presenting them directly, especially if the stakes are high. Further, in international correspondence, far more cultures are generally indirect in their business communication than they are direct.

Creating Effective Visuals

Creating Effective Visuals

View more presentations from warlos.

Creating a Website that Effectively Communicates with Customers

Ppt

View more presentations from guestc1578c2.

Communicate Effectively in an Interview

Whenever you get the call back for an interview, all you can think about is, “ how do I prepare?” It’s good to know the company and do your research before you go in for the interview. Here are some good things to do in an interview.

• Show that you’re well rounded (weave skill sets, work/non-work examples)
• Sell yourself. Take credit while showing accountability (I vs. We)
• Remember your STARS, especially results (be specific about how you made it happen)
• Know key points of the company
• PRACTICE

Just as important as being prepared is knowing what to avoid. Here are some good things to avoid in an interview: “The Don’t’s”

• Don’t ramble (answer the question and be succinct)
• Don’t make up answers to make yourself look better
• Don’t “oversell” or be untrue to yourself
• Don’t lose your cool if something goes wrong

Communication in an interview is the key way that the interviewer can get to know you. They ask a series of questions that you will be asked to answer. They can ask questions that are result-driven and teamwork/leadership-driven, along with some marketing curiosity questions. Below are examples of each kind of question that you could be asked to answer.

Result Driven Questions

• In your last position, how did you define doing a good job? Using your definition, do you feel you did a good job? How do you know?
• What are your three most important accomplishments?

Teamwork/Leadership Questions

• Tell me about a time when you had to convince a team member to change his or her mind about something. What did you do?
• Tell me about a time you failed…and another…what did you learn?

Marketing Curiosity Questions

• Tell me about a product you think is well-marketed, and explain what makes it so.
• Why do you buy what you buy?

If you review the company and learn what they are looking for, practice what you have learned and be yourself, you will be able to communicate effectively with the interviewer and substantially increase your chances to get the job!

Conducting Primary Research

Primary research is the gathering of raw data from such sources as firsthand experience, interviews, direct observations, and questionnaires. In fact, direct observation and interaction are the only ways to obtain certain kinds of information about human and animal behavior, natural phenomena, and the operation of systems and equipment.

In an academic setting, you may talk about resources with your peers, your instructors, and especially a research librarian. On the job, you may rely on your own knowledge and experience and that of your colleagues. IN business, the most important sources of information may include market research, questionnaires and surveys, focus groups, public meetings, shareholder meetings, and the like. In this setting, begin by brainstorming with colleagues about what sources will be most useful for your project and how you can track them down.

Beginning with Experience

if your research topic deals with something familiar or relates to an occupation you are in or hope to be in, you may already know enough to get started. In addition, you can check your home or office files for any materials you have acquired on the subject. Based on this background, make a rough outline,-it will tell you how much you know about the topic.

Interviewing for Information

To learn from the experience of others, you may be able to do some of your research by interviewing someone who is an expert on the subject. This process includes:

• Determining Whom to Interview
• Preparing for the Interview
• Conducting the Interview
• Expanding Your Notes after the Interview

Determing Whom to Interview- Many times, your subject or purpose logically points to the proper person to interview for information.

Preparing for the Interview- Once you have selected the person or persons you would like to interview, learn as much as possible about each person and the organizations for which he or she works.

Conducting the Interview- Arrive for your interview on time and be prepared to guide the discussion. Once you've introduced yourself, take a few minutes to chat informally- this will help both you and your interviewee to relax.

Expanding Your Notes after the Interview- Immediately after leaving the interview, use your memory-jogging notes to help you mentally go over the interview and record your detailed notes.

Marketing Through Viral Videos!

In marketing there is a lot of different ways of selling a product and getting the word out to customers. With this said communication and the way of distributing the information is critical. One way that really gets the word out and gets the message passed along really fast is through creating a viral video for a product.

A viral video you ask? Well this is a short clip of a product but it’s not an everyday advertisement or commercial. It can be so out there that you wouldn’t want to see it on the T.V. This video is posted online and then through the process of people viewing it, the more and more people who look at it increases the number of views because they then send the message of it to there friends, families and coworkers.

Everyone remembers the dancing baby clip a while ago, while that was a viral video which was created and through the sending of it on blogs, emails, and instant messengers the numbers of times people viewed it was outrageous.

This a one way that marketers can really get there product seen by many consumers over a short period of time. But marketing companies need to ask themselves these few questions when deciding on marketing through a viral video.

What is the goal of the campaign?

Are you promoting a specific product? How do you want consumers to view the product? Should consumers respond to the video and product in a specific way?

Will this video reflect the brand appropriately?

Many companies actually get a negative response about their brand due to a viral video. Many times that’s because they don’t realize what’s to far and when enough is enough in marketing. The company needs to make sure that the video is funny, appealing but not too offensive to the target market. There is a lot of research that needs to go into the process of creating a video, the concept and the storyline of the video.

Tips to maximize the Viral Potential of Your Videos:
•Keep your video clips short, you don’t want it to long that it becomes overwhelming and time consuming for the viewer.

•Ensure that your video has interesting, entertaining or provocative content, The “WOW” factor! It needs to blow the viewers away and leave them saying “that was hilarious, so and so needs to watch it.”

•Be cautious about including commercial or promotional content. Don’t include a lot of words that make it look like an advertisement; by including the product itself says enough.

•Optimize your video clips to maximize distribution across social network sites. Make sure that everyone can view it not just those people that visit one site. Post it on facebook, youtube, twitter and etc.

How To Prepare A Marketing Plan!

Meeting the Deadline

In one of our previous posts, we talked about the importance of memos. In this post I am going to focus on meeting the deadline for a memo. In the marketing business you will more than likely encounter situations that give you little time to complete a task. Your boss may want you to complete a memo in only an hour and you of course want to prove yourself. At first this seems impossible. A memo requires multiple steps in order for it to be done in a proficient manner, and an hour isn’t that long. It is in fact very possible when you follow some key strategies that I will show you.

Know the assignment

The first and most important thing that you must do is understand the assignment. If you don’t understand the assignment you are wasting your time and will most likely anger some people in the process. Ask the person who gave you the memo assignment these simple questions to help you get an idea.

• What is the topic of the memo?
• Who is the memo going to?
• What is the purpose?
• What key points should you address?
• Who is signing the memo?

Getting information

Background information is usually readily available somewhere in your company. You may happen to find information from a previous memo or other relevant information that you can use in your memo. Sometimes companies may even have a data base which can provide you all the information you need at your figure tips. Remember to make sure that the information in your memo is accurate, fits your context, and avoids plagiarism.

After you get all the information you need, start getting your thoughts in order. Your memo needs to have an opening, middle, and closing. Don’t try to make a lengthy outline. Your time is limited so just make one that has all your major points. It doesn’t have to be perfect, your objective is to get show the reader your purpose.

The last thing you need to do is write a draft. Look at your outline and make sure that your memo covers all points covered in your outline. Cover only one subject per paragraph to ensure that points don’t get confused. It also allows more flow in your memo which makes it an easier read for your target.

Once you have completed your draft, look over to see if there are any grammar errors. After you found all the minor mistakes start focusing on the structure. Make sure it is solid and is in an orderly fashion. Also keep an eye on the clock so you know when to sum it all up.

Using these techniques will help you get a lot done in little time. Thanks for reading.

What Motivation Can do for Your Work Life

Every day, each of your employees are going through their own issues and facing their own challenges. Motivation in the work place can make a big difference for people who are in the midst of challenging times. An important way to motivate and make a connection with your workers is through the use of stories.

Storytelling helps business leaders engage their workers in strategy, vision, values and change. Especially in times of crisis or uncertainty, persuasive stories have contributed to some of the most inspirational leadership performances in history.

Whether the motivation comes through verbal or other means, everything always goes back to building goodwill. Extra effort and hard work will come from the individuals who want the reward of doing well, especially if tangible rewards are included for them. Here are some ways to motivate your workers:

• Create incentive- laden pay scales (less output= less pay, more output= more pay)
• If employees know they must perform to achieve salary increases, they will be motivated to work.
• Remind employees of what they will get for their efforts.
• Create a generous bonus structure with a benchmark that may seem unreachable, then watch them reach it.
• Bring a motivational speaker in once a month so employees can listen to someone else's struggles and how they overcame them.
• Follow through on all of your promises.

In the end, consistent motivation gives your employees incentive to overcome their own challenges, and the drive to work harder.


Source
http://www.the-storytellers.com/why-storytelling/

Maintaining Communication Skills in a Highly Competitive Work Environment

Working in the field of Marketing can be very competitive, especially among co-workers. Many times, marketing professionals rely on commission-based sales as their take home salary. This can sometimes bring conflict into the workplace if co-workers do not use the right communication skills amongst each other.

It is important to remember that in any company, your co-workers are also your teammates. Although it is great to try to stand out as an individual and show off your talents, at the end of the day you are representing your company as a whole. Companies are most successful when they consist of a strong team of people working in unity, not separately.

If you work in a competitive work environment, here are some tips to maintain respectful communication among your co-workers:

• As a team, you can come up with a shared goal when marketing to customers and making sales.


• Keep each other informed about current clients you have or deals you are working on so it is known. This could prevent a variety of conflicts.


• If you notice one of your teammates is falling behind in sales, you can help them with effective coaching on how to better market to customers.

By simply working together, there is no telling how successful your company can become.

"Collaborative Writing

Collaborative Writing also known as workplace writing is often-working with other people on a team to produce a single document. Like any team project it requires the cooperation of people with different personalities and backgrounds working toward a common goal. I feel like that is what I am currently experincing in my online course right now. I have to communicate with all these different individuals via internet and try to come together to complete this project.

Achieving the goal can be stressful but rewarding
Collaborative writing is generally done for one of three reasons:
1. The project requires expertise or specialization in more than one subject area.
2. The project will benefit from merging different perspectives into a unified perspective.
3. The size of the project, time constraints, or the importance of the project to your organization requires a team effort.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Collaborative Writing
-Advantages:
1. Many minds are better than one.
2. Team members provide immediate feedback.
3. Team members play devils advocate for each other.
4. Team members help each other past the frustrations and stress of writing.
5. Team members write more comfortably.
6. Team members develop a greater tolerance of and respect for the opinions of others.
-Disadvantages:
1. Demand it can place on your time, energy, and ego as a writer.
2. Takes more time than writing alone.
3. Exposes your writing to critism.
Functions of a Collaborative Writing Team
Writing teams collaborate on every facet of the writing process:
1. Planning the document
2. Researching the subject and writing the draft
3. Reviewing the drafts of other team members
4. Revising the draft on the basis of comments from all team members

Following this easy steps will result in a successful creation of a document. I think that communication in this process is very important. If you don't communicate while trying to collaborate during a writing process it will never come together correctly (Oliu)."

Oliu , Walter E., Charles T. Brushaw, and Gerald J. Alred. Writing That Works. 9th ed.. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2007.