Utilizing Mobile Marketing to Increase Sales

A lot of people are using their mobile phones to access information on the Internet because it is more convenient.   My April post, Mobile Marketing Leads for Innovative Business and their Adventurous Leaders, sheds some light on the statistics that prove this point.  Although we have the statistics, it has been documented by Reach that less than 2% of U.S. marketing spending goes toward mobile advertising (Godinez, 2013)http://digitalbarandgrill.com/5-reasons-why-mobile-must-matter-in-2013/. The reason for this, according to Godinez, successful digital business strategist, practitioner and educator, is that it is still an uncharted territory.  Mobile advertising is one of the hottest web marketing innovations, but businesses must know how to strategically implement it as part of their business plan and marketing goals and learn which tactics to use to get ROI. In this article, I will describe what a mobile marketing strategy could be and discuss some tactics businesses’ in the bar and nightclub business can use.

According to Dave Sribnik, director of trends and technology at Marke Team, sales and promotion agencyhttp://mktminc.com/, 70% of mobile searches lead to one action within one hour (Ponchione, 2013). So if your strategy is to increase sales, this is definitely where you want to spend your marketing dollars.  You are going to get a 70% return on your investment.  According to Sribnik, mobile technology in business is especially convenient for customers who are looking for places to eat or drink on the go. So how do we take advantage of this trend and these statistics?

The first tactic that Sribnik suggest is for businesses to create mobile-compatible websites instead of apps (Ponchione, 2013)http://www.nightclub.com/nightclub-management/marketing/mobile-s-ubiquitous-appeal.  “With a mobile compatible website, a business can have links to all the important websites like Yelp, Foursquare, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest”, say Sribnik.

Second, use mobile to photo share.  “One just has to look at the success of sites like Pinterest, and Instagram and even Facebook, it is the present and the future “, says Sribnik.  You know when people go out they like to take pictures of how happy they are and friends they haven’t seen in sometime and the clothes they wear.  It is like a momentum they keep to share their life stories.  This is a perfect way for any nightclub to become a part of their customer’s celebration of life.

Third, bars and nightclubs can utilize quick response codes. These codes came from Japan and are used to transfer information from a transitory media to a cell phone (Lyne, 2009). They can be put on your website and customers can get location of business, coupons, look at menu, etc., (Lyne, 2009).  “With a well thought out promotion or marketing plan, it can be extremely valuable, said Sribnik” (Ponchione, 2013).

Fourth, near field communication.  NFC is available on all android smartphones.  It allows phones to “talk” to each other through a tiny chip. This chip can be placed on menus, tabletops, waitresses and waiters clothing, etc.  Businesses can then send messages to the phone to send them to their menu or to Facebook or Twitter pages. (Ponchione, 2013). In this way, they can keep in constant communication with the patrons while they are in the venue.  A business can use this to announce the latest event or promotion, to advertise a special drink or food item, they can even have patrons view tweets, answer customer service questions, order drinks, conduct contests, etc.  “ The possibilities are endless”, says Sribnik”(Ponchione, 2013).

Godinez, J (2013,Dec 6).  5 Reasons Why Mobile Must Matter in 2013.  Digital Bar and Grill.  Retrieved from http://digitalbarandgrill.com/5-reason-why-mobile-must-matter-in-2013/

Lyne, M (2009, Oct 15).  What is a QR Code and Why Do You Need One?  Search Engine Land. Retrieved from http://searchengineland.com/what-is-a-qr-code-and-why-do-you-need-one-27588

Ponchione, A (2013,April 2).  Mobile Ubiquitous Appeal.  Nightclub and Bar.  Retrieved from http://www.nightclub.com/nightclub-management/marketing/mobile-s-ubiquitous-appeal

Reflections on Business Planning

In my last post , I described several leading business planners and venture capitalist.  After viewing their article, I intend to incorporate their wisdom and suggestions into my business plan.  To begin with, Kleiner said that an entrepreneur should make sure that the target market wants the product or service.  I plan to do a lot of research to find out whether or not christians' want a night club where they can relax and enjoy Christian entertainment.  Tim Berry said that the entrepreneur must focus on the target market and meet their needs.  Doing the research will help to keep on top of what they want and need.  Fred Wilson said that it is important that the founder and the management team work well together.  I plan on working hard to find the right team to work the business.

In a business plan the most important part to me would be the management team. The management team can make or break the business. I will work hard to get people who are ambitious, trustworthy, and skilled at what they do.  First and foremost, the people on the team must have God as the head of their lives because this business is based on honoring God's people, to set the captive free , to heal the wounded.  We our in business to serve and let the world know that you can be saved and still have fun, and not be ashamed of being young and saved!  We want Christians to understand that as heirs of Christ, they are not missing out on anything.  In fact, "Melodies" will be the envy of the nightlife!

Top Business and Venture Capitalists

Top Business Planners and Venture Capitalist

 Eugene Kleiner was known as an engineer, entrepreneur, and venture capitalist that put the silicon in Silicon Valley.  Kleiner was born May 12, 1923 in Vienna, Austria. In 1938, at the age of 15, he escaped from Vienna, Austria before WWII (New York Times, 2003).   He graduated from Polytechnic University of New York with a B.S in Mechanical Engineering.  In 1948, he graduated with a M.S. in Industrial Engineering from New York University.

In 1956, he accepted an invitation form Nobel Prize winner, William Shockley to come to California to build computer transistors and help form what became known as the Shockley Semi-conductor Laboratory (NY Times, 2003).  Kleiner and seven others broke off and used 3,500 dollars of their own money produced multiple transistors on a single silicon wafer.  Later, they were able to get Fairchild to invest 1.5 million into their company and first Silicon Company was created, Fairchild electronics in 1957(USA Today, 2003).  This was not just the beginning of a new technology, but they had created a new business model where the founders kept the majority of ownership instead of the investors. After Fairchild, Kleiner invested in another venture, Intel.  This also changed the way business was conducted.  Usually, when people started companies and became successful, they would just go about their merry way spending their money on the American dream.  Not Kleiner, he invested his money in other start-up companies. In 1972, he and Tom Perkins started one of the world’s first investment company called Kleiner, Perkins, Caulfield, and Byers. To date this company has invested billions of dollars into startups like Amazon.com, Tandem Computers and Compaq Computers, just to name of few (New York Times, 2003).  Kleiner died on November 20, 2003 but not before he left his mark on the world in regards to venture investing.  His ingenuity and wisdom became known as Kleiner’s laws. Three of his laws that I liked are:

·      Make sure that the dog wants to eat the dog food. In other words, no matter how great the idea or promising the market, make sure the people want the product or service

·      Build one business at a time.  Kleiner said that most business plans are too ambitious.

·      It is easier to get a piece of an existing market than to create a new one.

The next person, Tim Berry, is the co-founder of Eugene Social, Apps37, founder and chairman of Palo Alto Software, founder of b-plans.com, author of books and software, teacher of entrepreneurship, and blogger.  He has a M.B.A. from Stanford and is an angel investor. He has a MA with honors from the University of Oregon, A BA magna cum laude from the university of Notre Dame.  Tim has been successfully delivering business plans in 13 countries since 1974. (Entrepreneur, 2013).

 According to Tim, a business plan should be lean, which means it should be efficient and effective.   He gives three suggestions on how to make your plan lean:

·      “The strategy should be to focus on the target market and the solutions.   Focus on the differences.

·      Review and revise the plan regularly.

·      Track progress and manage course corrections constantly. Use lists and tables in order to be able to clearly see what needs to be corrected.”

(Berry, 2013)

Lastly, we have Fred Wilson, a venture capitalist and managing partner of Union Square Ventures of NYC. He has a bachelors’ degree in mechanical engineering from MIT and a MBA from Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.  Union Square Ventures manages $450,000,000 across three funds.

According to Fred, they look for three things in the entrepreneurs that they back:

·      “They look to see how the founder and the managers get along to drive the business forward

·      They look to back people who they will get along with

·      They look to back entrepreneurs that have been successful before and bring new ideas to the table (content.usv.com, 2013)”

Abrams, Rhonda. (2003, November 26). Kleiner. Retrieved from http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/small business/columnist/abrams/2003-11-26-Kleiner_x.htm.

Berry, T (2013, April 17). How to Build a Lean and Efficient Business Plan. Entrepreneur.com. Retrieved from http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/226417

Union Square Ventures [Web log post].  Retrieved from http//: content.usv.com/pages/fred-wilson

On Being Successful in the Gospel Music Industry

Being a success in the music industry is a very hard and challenging business. Many articles have been written about artists that have been superstars only for their careers to end in ruin.  In the gospel music industry, it is a well-known fact that it is even harder to become successful.  Many articles have been written about gospel artists struggle to make ends meet. Today, I will be discussing an article written by Attorney James L. Walker entitled “12 Top Reasons Gospel Artists Go Broke”.  In this article, Walker listed the following reasons:

·      "They trust Jesus and anyone who uses “The Name of Jesus “to convince them not to read their contracts

·      They hire their choir members or deacons to be their managers

·      They pray daily but won’t read daily

·      They like shoes more than new money

·      They overprice themselves out of the marketplace and don’t understand market conditions

·      They like high profile big cars vs. large low profile bank account

·      They listen to their pastor’s advice before their attorney, accountant or manager

·      They think Jesus called them just to sing and they don’t worry about the business side of it.

·      They won’t read their contracts

·      They don’t understand Point, Publishing or Statutory Rates

·      They don’t read any contracts

·      They don’t realize that Jesus wept because a generation of singers would not get paid unless they read their contracts like they read the bible and pray"

(Walker, 2011)

When you look at the above reasons, a few things really stick out. 

·      If you are going to be in any business, you must get proper legal representation.   If you sign a contract and don’t know what it is saying, you will be on the losing end. 

·      Another issue is whom do you get to manage you?  You must have an expert in the music business, not the deacon or the choir leader.  They don’t have the expertise or connections in the music industry to successfully manage you. 

·      The third issue that really stands out is that you can’t put your cart before the horses.  Buying big fancy cars, clothing, and accessories before your career is really established will be a big downfall for any artist. 

·      Lastly, the issue of trust comes to play.  Will you listen to your pastor or will you listen to your lawyer, accountant or legitimate manager?  Remember, your pastor doesn’t know the music business. To avoid going broke, I would suggest pray and let God and your pastor lead you to getting lawyers, accountant and managers that come highly recommended from people in the industry that you can trust.  Interview them, speak to others they have managed, look them up and do background checks because this is your livelihood. 

·      Walker even suggests reading books like, “ All You Need to Know About the Music Business” by Donald Passman or Kashif’s book, “Everything You Better Know About the Record Industry”.  Walker also has written a book entitled, The Business of Urban Music. Read these books like you read the bible in order to protect yourself. 

It is important not to blindly trust anyone because they say they love Jesus.  You still have to read your contract and know the business your in, and hire professional help to manage your career like any other artist does.

GET READY, GET READY, GET READY!

Looking for a chance to be heard? The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) in Atlanta are holding it’s “Check It Out “ Series. http://www.ascap.com/Playback/2013/03/faces-places/rhythm-soul/ascap-atlanta-hosts-check-it-out-series.aspx. If you are an artist, songwriter, and/or producer, here is your chance for stardom!!  There are two requirements to enter. (1) You must have talent, of course, and (2), you must be a member of ASCAP.

·      ASCAP is a membership organization with over 460,000 members, which include composers, songwriters, lyricists and music publishers of every kind of music. http://www.ascap.com/join/ 

·      ASCAP has agreements with international organizations that allow them to represent hundreds of thousands of music creators worldwide.  They are the only US performing rights organization that is created and controlled by composers, songwriters, and music publishers, with a Board of Directors elected by and from their membership. 

·      ASCAP protects their membership by licensing and distributing for non- dramatic performances of copyrighted materials. The organization makes it easier to get and obtain permission to perform music for creators and music users.

Don’t miss this opportunity to get the break that you have been longing for! 

All submissions must be sent to ASCAPMUSICATL@GMAIL.COM by next Friday, May 17^th, 2013.  The “Check It Out” event will take place in Atlanta on Friday, May 31^st, 2013.

Featured panelist for the event include:

Kawan, KP Prather, (Senior VP of A&R at Atlantic Records; Owner of Ghet-O-Vision Entertainment) http://www.taxi.com/transmitter/0507/sony-music-ar.html

http://rollingout.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/KawanPrather.jpg

Ray Daniels (Publisher at Randor Music/Universal; Owner of R.A.Y.D.A.R Management) http://www.a3cfestival.com/ray-daniels

http://www.blazetrak.com/profile_pic/profile_1335998732ray%20daniels%20.jpeg

Dina Marto (Co-Owner & President of Twelve Music Group http://www.twelvemusicgroup.com/president

 http://www.ivebeencalledthebword.com/dev/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Dina-Marto1.jpg

Deshawn Kennedy (Talent Manager: Partner of Bangladesh Production Company and Record Label) http://www.blazetrak.com/view_professional.php?proid=31204

 http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-frc3/c24.23.294.294/s160x160/486274_10151241470765958_1261150870_n.jpg

Directions:

·      Email two mp3 songs for consideration

·      Indicate in your email whether you are submitting music as an ASCAP artist, songwriter, and/or producer

·      List your complete contact information (i.e. Phone number and email address) in your email

Only a select few will be chosen each month and the Atlanta location will be disclosed if you are selected.  You must be present if selected.  No representatives will be allowed.  Participants are not allowed to bring guests.

Good luck to all those who chose to enter!!!  For more information, including becoming a member of ASCAP, call 404-685-8699.

Sources:

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art180470.asp

http://www.ascap.com/Playback/2013/03/faces-places/rhythm-soul/ascap-atlanta-hosts-check-it-out-series.aspx