If you live (or have ever lived) in Texas, you know that H-E-B is a FANTASTIC store. You would also know that they sell handmade in the store, pico de gallo that tastes FANTASTIC. This Texas staple is normally sold in 4oz or 8oz sizes. Ever since this craziness began, H-E-B is offering pico in 14oz servings! Yup, that’s one way we know that everything is going to be alright. #itsgoingtobealright
Despite all of the bad news, poor economic indicators, and general concern for what is to come, we are seeing some pretty amazing and positive things. We know that, no matter what; things will be alright. As a result, we decided to take the next week or so to share our Top 10 reasons that we know everything is going to be alright!
We hope you enjoy, and we welcome your input and suggestions!
#itsgoingtobealright
Our Zoo is the BEST! Talk about thinking outside of the box. At 11am on their Facebook Page everyday we get to visit the Houston Zoo!
The Houston Zoo started using Facebook Live to bring their patrons , many who were stuck at home due to the COVID-19 stay-home order, a glimpse of the daily lives of their animals. Live videos featured some of the animals guided by zookeepers so fans could see what they are up to. The Houston Zoo welcomed Facebook followers online questions and answered in real-time.
During times of crisis, it pays to put yourself in your clientele’s shoes and think outside of the box!
The U.S. Small Business Administration is offering designated states and territories low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Upon a request received from a state’s or territory’s Governor, SBA will issue under its own authority, as provided by the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act that was recently signed by the President, an Economic Injury Disaster Loan declaration.
For details, directions, and applications click here.
These are uncertain times. Our daily life has suddenly changed and in a dramatic fashion. One certainty lies before us. Rough times are ahead. Remember, smooth seas don’t make skilled sailors. Economic downturns are part of the natural cycle of business and if you take time to prepare, your business will not only survive – it can flourish.
Sailing through an economic storm is an endurance test. You will need to manage your business through big waves and battle crew fatigue. People often get nervous and become distracted when business slows down. Distractions can cause errors or reduce quality output. You can combat this by being open with with your employees. Let them know what you anticipate without painting a bleak picture, Operations should never be slow in the traditional sense. Make housekeeping a priority during downtime. Every business can use a good spring cleaning and busy employees with a purpose are usually happier.
Look for opportunities amid the crisis. This is the perfect time to solidify relationships with existing clients. Be sure that the lines of communication are open between you and your valued clients. Listen for their pain points and think out of the box. You may find a means to service their needs in ways that had not been considered before.
For over 70-years our business has focused on serving our customers with deliberate and precise execution combined with flexibility to support our clients in multiple ways. Simply translated, agility and nimbleness are essential. The downturn environment is constantly changing, which means your clients needs are in a state of flux. Make sure your business can manage the ebb and flow of needs to solidify partnerships with your clients and vendors.
Published by North Sails, an international sail maker, I recently read a blog that outlined how to safely sail through a storm while at sea. The author wrote a conclusion that mirrors exactly what a business should do during an economic storm.
“Although everyone will remember it differently years later, a long, wet, cold sail through a storm can be miserable. As skipper, you need to make the best of it: watch over your crew, offer relief or help to those who need it, and speak a few words of encouragement to all. “This is miserable, but it will end.”
Take the time to marvel at the forces of nature, and at your ability to carry on in the midst of the storm. Few people get to experience the full fury of a storm. It may not be pleasant, but it is memorable.”
You will receive an invitation in the mail on or between March 12 – 20, 2020. Every household will have the option of responding online, by mail, or by phone.
Depending on how likely your area is to respond online, you’ll receive either an invitation encouraging you to respond online or an invitation with a paper questionnaire.
Letter Invitation
Letter Invitation and Paper Questionnaire
THE TIMELINE
Every household that hasn’t responded by the request dates will receive reminders and will eventually receive a paper questionnaire. It doesn’t matter which initial invitation you get or how you get it – the Census will follow up in person with all households that don’t respond.
For more information click here.
The power of direct mail is amazing. Let that sink in for a minute.
We hear about the might of marketing on digital channels through social media, search words, and email; and all of those channels are excellent resources for making sales. Combine those resources with the super power of direct mail and you will see simply amazing results.
We were asked to help one of our client’s research the ROI on a marketing campaign conducted last spring. At the start of the campaign, we were invited to help research and identify criteria of their ‘perfect’ client. This customer is a membership-based organization, and once we were clear on the demographics; we went to work on obtaining a multitude of databases (including their own house list).
The mailing list is hands down, THE MOST IMPORTANT COMPONENT of a direct mail campaign.
The client put together some beautiful graphics and powerful messaging combined with a CALL TO ACTION and we were ready to launch.
We used 14 different lists including the client’s lapsed member list, shared lists and seven purchased lists from a wide variety of sources.
The mailing was sent to 330,000 people and produced over 5,200 memberships (1.6%). They collected over $780,000 in membership revenue and 29% of that came from new members which represents projected additional earnings of $650,000 over three-years.
The entire job including postage cost approximately $98,000 to produce and netted over $780,000 in revenue. That represents a 698% return on the investment.
The power of direct mail is amazing.
Using a combination of public opinion surveys and large-scale data analysis, Pew Research Center studied YouTube in recent years to better understand the content that gets posted to the site and how the U.S. public engages with it.
Last November, Instagram began a test to hide “likes” for U.S. users, and announced that it will be rolling out the change everywhere in the world.
This upset some (really) big influencers including Nicki Minaj who tweeted that she was going to stop posting on the platform because of the decision. She hasn’t posted on her Instagram account since then either.
Based on a survey of 502 consumers poled from The Mainfest, more than half (55%) said they don’t have an opinion regarding Instagram’s decision. About 20% of people supported the decision to hide likes, while 25% oppose the decision.
Instagram CEO, Adam Mosseri says the move to hide likes is to reduce stress and anxiety on users. They want to try and depressurize the platform and make it less of a competition by giving people more space to focus on connecting with people they love and things that inspire them. Creators will still be able to see like counts on their own posts, but Instagram will not display those publicly.
Interesting that Instagram that is continuing to make follower counts public which is arguably an even more important metric for gauging popularity and traction.
Some believe that Instagram is hiding likes because user engagement has been waning and that the change stems from core business reasons.
Some believe that by hiding likes, Instagram will help alleviate the negative backlash that comes from declining organic engagement on a platform over time as well as protect their reputation as Facebook’s more engaging social media platform. In addition, by making likes private, Instagram will control the flow of that data.
Facebook IQ is a culmination of a year’s worth of research and insights. The team explored thousands of topics from January 2018 to June 2019 on Facebook. Where patterns emerged, they looked to third-party research and media sources to inform and validate their findings.
New in 2020, they reported trends beyond the US to 13 new countries in four regions:
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Mexico, the
Philippines, Sweden, Thailand and the UK.
For each topic of conversation, they relied on aggregated, anonymized, country-specific data from January 2018 to June 2019 for people ages 18 and older who use Facebook. All topics chosen to be featured grew from June 2018 through June 2019. The topics are presented in the original language as they appeared in their data set.
The analysis covers trends across six categories: Art and Design, Beauty and
Fashion, Entertainment, Food and Drink, Mind and Body and Travel /Leisure.
Facebook IQ 2020 Annual Topics Report delivers insights to understand consumer
behavior, drive more effective marketing and transform the way your business
reaches people. Learning from the billions of people on their platforms and
the millions of businesses that advertise with Facebook, the report provides insights into
behaviors across generations, markets, devices and time. Click here to read the report.