Keep it real and don’t give up

The high school youth at the church I attend are often from families that have been displaced. The poor economy has resulted in foreclosures on homes and apartments they were renting. Most are making it – but just barely. Often they are doubling up with another family in a residence that is even too small for one family.

An interesting exercise we use with the youth is asking them what they believe their “gift” is – what are they particularly suited to do. Shy at first, and then more bold – several acknowledge that their gift is in the arts, including music, acting and drawing. The opportunity to speak out loud about their passion is important. The lack of permanent housing is considered a barrier to growing their gift. We work with them and encourage each to find a way to express the interest and grow it through classes, mentoring or just reading books about it. The kids are now seeing opportunities where they use to think there were none. We also work with the parent(s) to encourage their children’s dreams – in spite of the challenges in front of them and their current living situation. Watch this video produced by an urban program called Reciprocity Project.

If you have a similar program in your community, ask how you can get involved. The young person with a mentor is 80% more likely to avoid the social welfare system than the kids without one. Don’t have time for a volunteer mentoring project? Many schools have a program to encourage youth in different careers. Sign up to speak about your job and life choices. Even a brief interaction with a young adult in crisis can make a difference.

What are you doing in your community?

A perfect pairing – Wine & Social Media

Accelerate brand loyalty and retail sales with Social Media Marketing

“If you advertise to your audience, it’s one-way communication. Engage your audience through social media and you build a relationship.” – Cinde J. Dolphin, Marketing for Mavericks

In the wine industry, social media is a no/low cost worldwide forum to discuss and recommend viticulture services and wine labels. It’s the equivalent of a casual tasting room discussion — online.

Customers “virtually” visit your business by using Facebook, Twitter and other key sites. After a great experience, the same customers become ambassadors – providing testimonials about product and services that are honest and immediate. In turn, it provides your sales team with positive responses to leverage with new clients — converting them to buying customers. Plus, social media is a research tool, keeping a finger on the pulse of what is being said about you, your brands and your competition.

We Combine Search Engine Optimization, Social Marketing and Public Relations

The best way to reach online audiences is to be so well optimized that they find your site first during initial search results on Google and other search engines. We’ll increase links from your website to and from other sites that will help generate group posts and generate online conversations. A public relations campaign will drive more online media mentions and thereby drive more traffic to your website.

We Provide Web Analytics, Tracking and Reporting

We can measure traffic to your social network, allowing us to gain detailed demographic information about your audience and their online activities. And, we’ll constantly refine the messages and activities for maximum effectiveness. You’ll gain perspective about your customer base, including vital members of the retail channel.

Overview of What You Can Expect

Current Online audit ~ Search Engine Optimization ~ Editorial Calendar ~ Monthly PR Strategy ~ Social Media Daily Updates ~ Sales Staff Education

Contact us @ cinde.dolphin@marketingformavicks.com for more information.

Wine and Social Media – A Great Pairing

It takes a village to raise healthy locally-grown fruit

Farm workers in Yuba and Sutter County in Northern Calif. have a place to go for the many challenges that face them day-by-day. Of course, the winter months mean not only limited employment, but also increased gas & electric bills, poor living conditions and health care issues. Western Farm Workers Association is community-based operation that survives on donations and volunteers only. They provide in-take interviews for each individual, provide emergency food if necessary and address the concern of each person on a case-by-case basis. They also help the local community celebrate the holidays, with gifts for children and dinners that serve up to 400 people.
Let us know if you’d like to learn about ways to help some of the people who are responsible for putting healthy fruits and vegetables on your table.

Ya Need Your Customer to Love It Too…

I’m as guilty as anyone…

I write or create something, (after many revisions) feel good about it, and assume I’m successful.  The resulting creation pushed my own personal “feel good” button, ergo it must be good. 

Really, the test is whether it pushes the buttons of your customers and potential customers. A clever theme or essay is only as good as it is received. It frustrates me to no end! I imagine there are many who feel the same…

In marketing, the key is presenting a brand’s content and features in a way that captures your taget audience. A great advertising campaign may win marketing awards, but it it doesn’t draw new business – it’s not a true success. Unless of course, your goal is to scatter awards throughout your office.

In my previous career, I worked with promotional agencies to create point-of-sale materials for retail displays. The key to success was getting a retailer to love the piece enough to place it on precious real estate in his or her store. Each inch of a store floor is valuable! Getting a product display with your POS on top is considered true success.

However, the customer in the store may be nonchalent about the display. They may actually walk right past it without even pausing to consider placing it in their shopping cart. How successful is that POS now?

I don’t have an answer. However, I believe that in the current world, a brand needs more than shock and awe on the floor to get your investment. A brand needs a relationship.

Winning From the Ground Up

I’m working with a coalition in Sacramento, with a vision of building Complete Streets in the metro area. I believe in the organization’s mission for a number of reasons. Here’s one of them.

First – Complete Streets means safe streets for walkers, school children, bikers and even motorists. The actual design of a sidewalk and intersection can either encourage folks to be on the street, or to jump into their vehicle and drive to even the closest destination, maybe four or five blocks away. Those who advocate for Complete Streets, ask that the needs of all who use it be considered in equal portions.

If you’re a parent, you’re well-aware of this, but when I have to drive past a schoolyard during morning or afternoon hours – the bottleneck of vehicles is amazing. Not only does is create really poor air quality for the kids jumping in and out of cars, but it statistically improves the chances of an accident – or even worse, an injured child.

Imagine, if you will, a safe traffic area for students so walking and biking to school is actually preferable. And I mean preferable to the kids, in addition to the parents — by providing intersections that discourage vehicle traffic and encourage foot traffic. Lanes that allow bikes true right-of-way and cars are considered secondary. Kids that arrive from distant home locations where cycling or walking are not an option, can safely disembark from the car a few blocks away, because designers of surrounding walkways provided adequate safety measures for the walking commuter. So, I hope you get my drift…

But the add-on benefit is the additional exercise for your kid. There’s a myriad of electronic devices that can take over a kid’s life. Often the need for fresh air and exercise becomes an afterthought. One of the biggest issues facing school age children is obesity. Walking and cycling to school provides some exercise and encourages social interaction away from gadgets.  When bike-riding kids get together, they find the fun in showing off, racing or (dare I sat it) flirting! It encourages more interaction with people and thereby building friendships and social networks.

I’ve just started working with Complete Streets, so I’ve got more to learn. So far, there seems to be some solid reasons to become an advocate. There’s an interesting article from the Brookings Institute: Sacramento’s Transit-Oriented Development Plan. Sacramento can lead the nation in being a walkable, transit-friendly community. But the infrastructure needs to be from the “ground up.” It’s not too late, but we must start now. Please share your thoughts and comments.