Autism Hangout shares hope, news and resources

by Carie Statz, Marketing and Sales Instructor

Dakota County Technical College

Autism has become part of our everyday vocabulary. The Autism Society, the foremost grassroots autism organization in the country, defines autism as a “complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first two years of life and is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the brain, impacting development in the areas of social interaction and communication skills.”

An estimated one out of every 100 newborns in the United States will develop some form of autism. Today, at least 1.5 million people in the U.S. have been diagnosed as autistic¾and that number is on the rise. Autism is considered a “spectrum disorder” that affects each child differently, altering behavior in varying degrees. No single cause for autism has been identified.

Inspired by a stepson with autism, Craig Evans needed a better way to learn more about the disorder and then share his findings with others. He eventually founded the community Web site, www.autismhangout.com, which is a for-profit site specifically designed to bring timely and relevant news, reports, resources and hope to individuals touched by the autism spectrum.

Evans pointed out that Autism Hangout provides not only information, but also offers a perfect opportunity for the greater autism community to share experiences through discussion forums, videos, photos and blogs. Individuals with autism as well as their caregivers can create their own homepages on the site. Autism-related events and programs are also showcased.

As an informational clearinghouse, knowledge base and networking center covering the full scope of autism, the Web site offers a one-stop solution for people seeking educational resources and up-to-the-minute news on an extremely complex and increasingly prevalent disorder. Visitors to the site are reminded that some children show minor forms of autistic behaviors while others may have mannerisms that affect every aspect of their lives.

Parents may browse the site to identify the typical signs of autism such as:

Another feature of Autism Hangout, webinars are live presentations, lectures, workshops or seminars transmitted online that Evans moderates to help educate caregivers on the various challenges posed by autism.

“You can be passionate about a cause, help others with your work, and still be compensated for your work while serving those in need,” said Evans. “A good portion of my work is now focused on helping caregivers find products and services to help with their challenging aid to people with autism.”

By promoting these products and services through paid advertising on Autism Hangout, Evans is able to uphold his commitment and continue putting in the extensive work hours required to keep the site comprehensive, accurate, relevant and up to date.

“I have a drive to provide useful and current information to help others, but it also takes a commitment and long hours to provide this site,” Evans said. “The best advice to give people who have a desire to help others, but also have their efforts compensated, is you can do both if you stay committed to your passion.”

Billions of dollars are spent annually on treating individuals with autism. Evans stresses that this cost could be cut by two thirds through early intervention. He recommends that caregivers know the signs of autism and seek out professional advice for assistance. Autism Hangout is one of the best resources available to get the most current facts about autism. The right knowledge at the right time can make a huge difference not only in individual lives, but also in changing the course of the disorder¾perhaps in the direction of a future cure.

One important lesson Craig Evans can teach anyone interested in community service is that sound business and marketing models can be applied effectively for good causes, greatly increasing the potential for beneficial results both socially and fiscally. 

As the founder of Autism Hangout, Craig Evans is available to answer specific questions about autism and his Web site at cevans@communityhangouts.com.

For more information on how you can successfully launch your own for-profit community service Web site, please feel free to contact me at carie.statz@dctc.edu¾or visit www.dctc.edu.

If you have a topic for the Make It Happen columnists, please contact Chris Hayes at 651-423-8266, or chris.hayes@dctc.edu.

The new generation is called Generation Jones.

 It is tucked neatly between the Baby Boom Generation and Generation X.

Just to recap the “Generations”:

1. Mature (born 1941 and before)
2. Baby Boomers (1942 to 1953)
3. Generation Jones (1954 to 1965)
4. Generation X (1966 to 1978)
5. Generation Y (1979 through the 1990s, also called the Baby Boomlet)

Of course, these dates are really fluid and each author of a book who wants to define the generations use slightly different dates.

It is funny to me to think that a generation now consists of a decade. I remember the good old days when a generation meant a 20-30 year span.

As far as Generation Jonses, I am sure there are some very good reasons to single out a decade from the end of the Baby Boomer generation and give it a new title. The primary reasons are experiences during the decade a person “grew up”.

Here’s my two cents. As I write this blog, I take into consideration the following:

1. A generation by definition is somewhere between 25 to 30 years.
2. Every year offers new experiences based on music trends, major political events, major social change, advances in technology, etc.
3. Most importantly, people have an innate need to stand out.

Why is number 3 so important? Three main reasons:

1. Primary Reason: People want to be known for something. They have a desire to be understood. They want to be seen as different from those who go before them or those after them. This is a natural desire. For this reason, to define a generation every 10 years with slightly different characteristics gives a person a sense of indivdualism. I know people who regularly say, “I think this way because I am from Generation X” or “I purchased this because it is expected of me - a Baby Boomer”. Really?

2. Another Important Reason: Marketers need terms to define the target audience they are selling to. It combines two really important demographics, at least this is what marketers think: age and psychographics (although the latter is more sketchy to nail down).

3. Reason 3 - It is the very thing needed to sell more books! It combines information that allows people to stand out more and helps marketers sound like they are more directly hitting their target audience by defining it more “clearly”.

However, I think, and this may be just my cynical Generation X in me, that an author is making millions defining yet another “generation” and taking on a book tour. However, if you look up the characteristics of Generation Jones, many of the characteristics “cynical, experimental” are very similar to Generation X.

Hey, no one has officially claimed the decade…opps… I mean the generation from 1991 to 2002. I should take up that decade, write a book, and make a million. My older nieces fit into this group. They are great kids, but some of their characteristics are defined as cynical, experimental… Wait, that defines Generation Jones, no Generation X, wait the Generation Y is like that too. See where I am going with this?

Article Retrieve from http://www.alternet.org/columnists/story/9928/ on January 21, 2009:

 A company called DigiScents has developed a digital smell machine. The iSmell! It plugs into your personal computer and creates virtual odors for the user. The iSmell gadget uses 128 chemicals that can be combined to create many different smells. Imagine enhancing a sales experience by activating the sense of smell!

Of course ethics, defined as the set of rules or standards governing a person’s conduct, is up for interpretation by every individual. Because of the gray area surrounding ethics, many organizations have set in place a fluid code of ethics. I use the word fluid since many companies know society and technology change constantly. For this reason, an organization may find itself needing to update its code of ethics on a regular basis due to potentially new ethical violations.

I have heard of or seen many bad ethical decisions through the years. Here are some typical ethical codes set by organizations and examples I or my colleagues witnessed which violate these codes:

1. Conflict of Interest: This is when employees of an organization allow their connections to unethically influence their business practices. Many companies require their employees to conduct business in a fair and impartial manner. An example of personal conflict of interest would be a manager of a non-profit organization, who purchases items at a higher cost from businesses where his friends and family members work, instead of getting bids.

2. Gifts and Gratitudes: This is when a person accepts a gift which their company constitutes has a higher value than allowed and may influence the company’s decisions of purchasing. I have seen whole departments taken out to dinner by sales reps who receive the organization’s business in return. Many companies have added to their code of ethics in this area by stating that any employee, who procures goods and services (purchases), cannot accept any item of value over a small specialty item like an inexpensive pen or key chain.

3. Behavioral Conduct During Work or at a Company-Sponsored Event: Often managers set the standard by which their employees conduct their behavior. We’ve all heard of a version of a story when a manager who drinks too much in front of his subordinates. I’ve heard of a manager who drank too much at an organization-sponsored trip then walked out in front of moving traffic to stop it, all the while his subordinates watched. Can you imagine the talk after that incident around the company?

4. Protection of Sensitive Information/Confidentiality: I have to say I personally have not had witnessed much violation in this area. I worked with confidential information most of my career through client databases. This was highly valued and protected information. I do recall, however, on a few occasions stopping people from telling me confidential employee information, such as disciplinary actions, which I had no right of knowing.

5. Personal Use of Organization’s Assets: This is defined as borrowing or using assets like office equipment or corporate credit cards inappropriately. I know of people who borrowed an organization’s tents, tools, corporate cars, etc. for personal uses, some of these employees were let go for these actions. I know a few managers who didn’t think twice when they took their friends out on golf outings or to restaurants on their companies’ expense. (I personally feel guilty if I find my company’s 25 cent pen in my purse.)

6. Others: There are many other unethical practices such as stealing, being under the influence while at work, sexual harassment which can include dating a subordinate and racial discrimination.

How do you know if something is unethical so you don’t jeopardize your job? Here are some tips:

a. Ask if you are not sure. This can save your job.

b. If it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t ethical.

c. Anything unlawful is automatically unethical.

d. Ask yourself: Is it fair and honest? What would others think of my actions? How would my actions look to the public if they read it in the press?

e. Check your corporate code of ethics. If your organization does not have a standard, create one.

Most people know the consumer sales promotions like sweepstakes, contests, coupons, rebates, sampling, and free gifts. However, few people realize that more money is spent on the trade end of the sales promotion marketing strategy.

Objectives for trade promotions vary. Most are administered to create distribution for new products, maintain support for existing brands, encourage display of products at retail stores, build retail inventory, and reduce trade inventory.

The trade strategies include point of sale displays in retail stores, in-store demonstrations of the product, trade shows and exhibits, buying allowances, trade trial promotions, promotional allowances, incentive programs, co-op advertising, and training programs.

Trade trial promotions include line fees and slotting allowances, which the manufacturer pays the retailer to stock a new product, and returns, where the manufacturer agrees to take back unsold quantities of product.

Buying allowances allow retailers to free goods or a discount off their invoices when they purchase product during a promotional period.

Promotional allowances encourage retailers to perform specific tasks in relation to the brand.

Trade training is an important aspect to help sell manufacturer products. Staffs at the retail level are given in-depth exposure to a product. Often the manufacturer staffs offer the training to retail employees.

Contests and incentive programs encourage the people in the distribution channel to move product by offering special monetary or other gift incentives to sell their products.

Co-op advertising allows retailers an incentive to advertise a manufacturer’s products. The manufacturer will pay some or all of the advertising cost of promoting the retailers’ advertising costs in their flyers, broadcast and print, online media, etc.

The ultimate goal of sales promotion strategies is to promote quick sale of product through the use of both consumer and trade promotions. The cost of implementing these strategies can be high but it in the end, more product is sold which positively affects a company’s bottom line profits.

In the offline world, people can drive by your business, see your sign and decide to check out what you have to offer. The online environment is different. People do not drive by Web sites—search engines do.

By far, Google is the number one search engine, handling 65 percent of searches. This means that Google is your number one customer, and if Google cannot find you, no one else will.

“Some businesses think that just building a Web site is all that is necessary for an effective online presence,” says Josh Dahmes, president of Risdall Online Marketing Group, a locally owned company that helps clients increase their online visibility. “While there is something to be said for completing a Web site, that effort is meaningless if you are trying to attract new customers and your site does not show up in the first three pages of Google results.”

After all, more than 60 percent of people do not go past the first page of search results and more than 90 percent don’t go past page three; they end up refining their search instead.

So how does one move up in the Google world of search rankings? There are several steps that you can take through search engine optimization, or SEO. First, focus on the content of your Web site. Most small businesses run into content problems, often putting only a brochure up on their Web site. More content than that is necessary. When writing content for your Web site, remember to have a balance between writing for search results and writing for your customers.

Second, Dahmes recommends thinking about how your target audience would be looking for you. “Consider the search terms that they would use to find your site as well as the terms that they would use to find items once on your site,” he says. “It’s important to ensure that your Web site content is tailored to the needs of your users.”

Next, make sure that other Web pages are linking to yours. There are large numbers of business directories that can be submitted to for free. Getting a link in the Yahoo! Directory is still very powerful. Getting links through online press releases, social media engagements, and creating and submitting articles of your own proves very successful at generating incoming links to your Web site as well.

Finally, Dahmes says that it is important to track Web site statistics with an analytics package. “Analytics software such as Google Analytics can show you where visitors are coming from, what pages they are viewing and if they are converting,” he says. “At the end of the day, while traffic is important, it is the conversions that really matter. Sales, leads, registrations, memberships, etc., is the real goal. Eyeballs are great. Customers are better.”

These four steps focus on organic search, which accounts for more than 80 percent of search engine traffic. Moving up in search results through organic efforts is a process that can take from three to 12 months, depending on the level of competition and the amount of changes made to the Web site.

Need to make a faster impact? Try paid search, also known as sponsored search or pay-per-click, which provides instantaneous results, but accounts for less than 20 percent of search engine traffic. Paid search results show up as sponsored links in Google.

“Paid search makes sense for every company,” says Dahmes. “It’s perfect for campaigns that have a specific start and stop date, allows for geographic targeting on a very detailed level, offers complete budget control and is fully measurable.”

Whether your company uses organic or paid search efforts, or a combination, engaging in search marketing is necessary because people get a first impression of your company based on its Google presence, especially if you are nowhere to be found.

The Risdall Online Marketing Group team has been helping clients optimize their online visibility since 1997, prior to the birth of Google in 1998 and before pay-per-click (PPC) programs were available. The primary goals of ROMG are to optimize client Web sites to improve visibility, increase traffic and help convert that traffic into the desired response.

Does it work? Do a Google search on “advertising agency” and see what comes up in the top five listings. To learn more, visit www.risdall.com or follow Josh on Twitter (@jdahmes).

For more information on DCTC marketing and sales courses, please contact me at carie.statz@dctc.edu, or visit www.dctc.edu. To maximize your educational ROI, visit www.dctc.edu/business-industry/roi.cfm.

Reaching your customers is more difficult then ever. Social networking sites offer you the opportunity to connect directly to customers or prospects on a personal level. Consumers have the opportunity to create content based on personal experience. All this comes to you with a nearly free price tag.  

According to Wendy Cutting of CuttingDesign, Inc., a locally owned interactive marketing company, social networking sites give you the chance to direct and foster the conversation.

“Taking part in your consumer conversations is priceless. One-to-one dialog allows you the opportunity to personally answer and respond to comments and questions,” says Cutting. “You will see posts from customers when things didn’t meet their expectations as well as posts oozing with satisfaction.”

Positive comments allow you to thank customers for their feedback, whereas negative comments give you the chance to take a proactive approach to reestablish trust with disappointed consumers. Your involvement shows customers and prospects that you genuinely care about their experience with your business or organization. Social networks put you in the driver’s seat when it comes to expressing your appreciation and managing damage control.

Social networking was started to provide places for groups to form communities and share common interests. Businesses are adopting this model to reach consumers who would have cost several thousands of dollars to reach through more traditional marketing channels.

“Push” marketing from the old days no longer works for many of today’s consumers, who want to have more control and make their own decisions. Consumers are less trusting of mass advertising to provide the truth about a company’s product. Instead, they look to others who have actual experience using the product or service.

Cutting suggests using tools such as Facebook and Twitter, which encourage personal expression and a close connection with your consumers, otherwise known as fans and followers. Facebook and Twitter are currently the fastest growing social networking sites on the Internet.

Experts estimate that more than two thirds of the world’s Internet population visits social networking sites. According to a recent Nielsen report, that number accounts for almost 10 percent of all online time. On a local level, this fact opens a floodgate of opportunities that your business may have viewed as impractical or unworkable.

Cutting adds, “Having a Web site is great for business, but starting a social network community may be critical to keep afloat in this economic downturn.”

I recently spoke with Jason Kocina, president of Burnsville-based Checkerboard Strategic Web Development, about the best ways for businesses and organizations to leverage their Web presence.

“In the beginning, most Web developers were self-taught and not familiar with even the most basic marketing techniques,” Kocina said. “The Web design industry was so young that its natural selection process had yet to take place. People paid too much for their sites, and more often than not they didn’t get what they needed to increase sales.” 

The public rapidly raised its expectations for buying online, and in today’s tight economy companies that don’t deliver satisfactorily might not survive. Kocina added that businesses should be using their Web sites as extensions of their sales force and integral parts of their business plans.

“Your Web site should be selling for you 24 hours a day. But it needs to be done right. Your e-commerce will fail without the right marketing tools in place.”

Kocina noted that smart businesses are spending more time planning their sites before they implement them, and savvy Web marketers are demanding more of the following:

• Better quote request systems

“Customers who are ready to buy want immediate quotes. For example, if you are shopping for fencing you want to be able to input the style and your yard’s dimensions and receive a quick quote.”

• Shortened sales processes

“People don’t want to hunt for ordering options. They want fewer clicks and forms that are faster to complete.”

• Interactive tools

“If a business has a large product line, a visitor should only have to answer two or three questions to reduce their selections to a manageable size. We’re seeing more tools that help customers decide what to buy. For example, many paint suppliers now enable their Web site visitors to input room dimensions, and account for walls and windows, to determine how much paint they need to order.”

• Intuitive sites

“All of us have experienced the frustration of clicking all over a Web site looking for what we consider to be basic information. Your tools and information should be exactly where customers expect to find them.”

• Supporting information

“Why send consumers to a different place when you can provide them with ‘how to’ information as well as the necessary supplies? For example, a Web site selling heart-healthy nutritional supplements should also have information on how to live a heart-healthy lifestyle.”

• Video

“Businesses are producing their own videos and podcasts, skipping the filters associated with traditional advertising. These videos will contain useful information to grab consumers’ interest. For example, a tile manufacturer might feature a short video explaining proper tile installation techniques.” 

The bottom line, according to Kocina, is that your Web site should effectively translate your sales goals into measurable strategies. Then you should have a plan in place to ensure it delivers. 

I’m quick to echo Jason Kocina’s view on creating measurable e-marketing strategies that take advantage of the ongoing growth of the Internet.

If you would have told me 10 years ago that I would be teaching courses online, I would have scoffed at the idea. Now so many new students, especially career changers, want the flexibility online courses offer. It never ceases to amaze me how the Internet continues to change.

Businesses should exercise caution when moving to enhance their Web presence. With so many new options available for e-commerce, organizations need to keep pace with shifting trends, but then only select the e-tools that make sense for their Web sites.

I teach students to be aware of why they are creating the strategies for their marketing plans and how they will evaluate these strategies. In my e-marketing course, students are asked to step back and analyze what they want to accomplish before they create the strategies to advance their online Web experience.

To give an example, you don’t want to add an enhancement like a blog to your Web site unless you have something valuable to say to your customers and are willing to write regularly.

Successfully delivering your message to current and prospective customers

In tough economic times, businesses often struggle to discover ways to effectively and economically reach out to existing customers or clients while simultaneously working to generate new business.

One of the best methods around is still direct marketing, which involves sending your message directly to your customers and prospective customers without intervening media such as radio or TV. Direct marketing, which usually takes place through traditional mail, e-mail or over the phone, also includes an explicit call-to-action.

Proven direct marketing methods continue to provide positive results. The foundation of success in any direct marketing campaign is the capacity to maintain a strong database of clients and prospects.

Databases can range from simple—containing only basic information such as name and address—to sophisticated, which might include purchasing history and more detailed demographic data as well as any other pertinent identifying info.

Continually adding new records while updating your customer information is crucial to maintaining the accuracy and currency of your database. A number of data quality solutions exist to help you update and maintain your client information at a reasonable cost.

When employing direct marketing via the U.S. Mail, you may want to consider using CASS™ certified ZIP + 4^® processing, a system that increases the quality of your address data and standardizes your delivery addresses. Ultimately, ZIP + 4 improves the deliverability of your direct marketing mailings.

Michael Harris, a direct marketing specialist with Aldata Corporation in Apple Valley, recommends a range of USPS options to help reduce mailing costs by correcting, checking and validating the information you have in your existing database. Four of Harris’ top recommendations are:

• Address Element Correction (AEC)
• National Change of Address (NCOA)
• Delivery Sequence File Second Generation (DSF²)
• Duplicate Data Elimination (DDE)

“These options allow you to mail out at the lowest possible rate charged by the U.S. Postal Service and eliminate duplicate mailings,” says Harris.

One extremely effective and inexpensive strategy involves setting up a continuity mailing program, which gets your message out on schedule on a monthly, bimonthly or quarterly basis. Program mailings can take the form of a simple postcard or newsletter—or a more formal business letter. Continuity mailing keeps your name in front of your customers and prospects while reminding them that you appreciate their business.

Customer profiling is another way to add value to your database. By matching your database records against a regional or national data file, you can pinpoint unique data characteristics and identify important traits regarding your clients. With more customized data, you can target-market your existing client base and have an easier time finding new business in your prospecting records.

Harris is all for augmenting your database with new information from outside databases, a move that will give you the marketing tools to better determine your best customers and prospects. You can then craft specific offers to select market segments with pre-qualifying criteria, deriving additional business from your current customers.

“Superior data will also assist with client retention,” adds Harris.

“Out of sight, out of mind.” This old saying still rings true in sales. If your clients and prospects do not hear from you on a regular basis, chances are someone else will come knocking on their doors.

The strategies listed above are just a few of the ways to utilize effective direct marketing, increase response levels, ensure better delivery standards of your direct mail and help you manage the tide of a difficult economy.