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Happy FOSS Month (No, Not Floss)

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What’s FOSS? Something for Children’s Dental Month? Nope. But for small business marketing, it’s equally deserving of a February celebration. 

FOSS is Free and Open-Source Software. It’s a cooperative approach to computer programming that offers freely licensed software for anyone to edit, modify or reuse—think WordPress and its total transformation of the internet. FOSS has also changed the economic landscape for small businesses; in fact, for many (like me!) it’s been the criterium for opening their doors.

How can FOSS benefit your business?

There are so many software options. Here are five to get you started. Best of all, they’re free!

  1. Want to set up a Live Chat on your website? HubSpot offers this and more to effectively market your product.  
  2. Want to sell online? WooCommerce is to e-commerce as WordPress is to web design. By creating an online storefront, entrepreneurs can easily sell wares from their own websites. 
  3. Need to swipe credit cards? Square is one of many point-of-sale (POS) options that records and processes payments from customers. What would farm market and show vendors be without POS software? 
  4. Can’t meet in person? Zoom. Need I say more? Zoom has become a noun, a verb, a way of life. My favorite feature for business meetings is Share Your Screen. 
  5. Are you a startup needing to start bookkeeping? Wave is a free accounting, invoicing, and receipt tracking software for small businesses. 
LET’s WORK TOGETHER

What I’m Working On This Month

The Hispanic Resource Center of ProHealth works with families in Waukesha County, Wisconsin. This 6-page newsletter is part of its effort to provide reliable information on COVID and the medical care available to them. I’m proud to participate in the fight against COVID-19!

What I’m Tuned In To This Month

  1. Wisconsin 101: Friday Fish Fry: A must hear for this beloved tradition.
  2. Radical Woman Behind “Goodnight Moon”: Always loved the soothing simplicity of this children’s book, interesting read on the author.
  3. Quality of life, not just business, rejuvenates Midwest: Interesting read on community development.
  4. Do you have a Last Letter of Instruction? You should and so should your loved ones. Includes an interactive pdf.

Productive Marketing Requires a Productive Office

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Maybe it’s because home decor is on sale this time of year. Or maybe it’s because I recently relocated my office. Whatever the reason, I’ve lately been obsessing over home offices. Yes, I know this is a marketing newsletter, but to do good marketing, one definitely needs a good office. 

Functional, Not Fancy

There’s a plethora of information online for creating a functional home office. While each business requires workspace specific to its industry, here are five essentials for every office:

  1. Dedicated and personalized workspace
  2. Desk and ample work surface
  3. Ergonomic chair
  4. Reliable high speed internet
  5. Good lighting (preferably natural)

Want to see how I supercharged my new home office? It’s nothing fancy. Nonetheless, I’ve put together a space that works for me and keeps me motivated. Take a look. 

LET’s WORK TOGETHER

What I’m Working On This Month

January’s winter pace is usually slower, giving me time for Adunate updates. Not this year. I’ve taken on two new clients; one has me learning zoning laws, the other COVID safety. Stay tuned!

What I’m Tuned In To This Month

  1. What’s in your trunk could save your life: one columnist’s thoughts after Virginia’s highway shutdown on January 3.
  2. Growing your business and working from home, a conversation with Erin Ogden of Ogden, Glazer and Schaefer. 
  3. The Seed Keeper, a novel by Diane Wilson. A Dakota family’s struggle for preservation, meaningful because it takes place in my Minnesota college town. 
  4. What I Learned From a Lynching Survivor About Anger: An excellent speaker, one from whom we can all learn.
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Do You Do Pro Bono?

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Next week is Giving Tuesday, a perfect time to feel thankful and talk pro bono. Does your business do pro bono? Volunteer? Donate products?

Pro bono refers to professional work done voluntarily and without payment. The Latin phrase “pro bono publico” translates as “for the public good.” Many businesses find pro bono to be a way of giving back to their community. They provide services or fulfill a need that otherwise is not available. 

4 Ways Pro Bono Can Benefit Your Business

  1. Improves Morale 
    We no longer want to “just have a job.” We want to “change the world,” or at least a small part of it. Science shows our brains release endorphins when we help others.
  2. Helps Train New Staff 
    Pro bono is a perfect time to train staff and give them leadership opportunities.
  3. Exposure 
    Doing work you believe in builds your brand in an authentic way. It connects you with people who share your passion.
  4. Future Business Leads 
    Sometimes, but not always, pro bono leads to future business opportunities—opportunities for which you get paid. 
LET’s WORK TOGETHER

What I’m Working On This Month—New Client Promo!

I’m proud to now be assisting Grand Capital Advisors with their social media marketing. What a super group—caring, dedicated and highly skilled in financial planning. Looking for someone who will ask good questions and learn your goals? Give them a call.

What I’m Tuned In To This Month

  1. Eight Forgotten Pie Recipes We Should Bring Back, just in time for the holidays. May your Thanksgiving be full of happiness and gratitude!
  2. Garden Rest, #45: XOXO Farm Girl captures my thoughts completely as I wrap up my garden season, hunker down my bees, and cover my roses.
  3. Revisiting Pro Bono, helpful ideas for professionals and non-profits working together fo a successful pro bono project.  
  4. What is your ‘get to’? Regina Brett reminds us of true thankfulness. As always, she hits it home. 

Happy Thanksgiving! I’m full of gratitude for all you wonderful people! Thank you!

Collaborate With Your Competitors? You Bet!

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My husband and I just returned from our annual Octoberfest Brewery Tour. This year we took our sipping and scenery to Charleston, SC, and it was glorious! 

Businesses Working Together

In one of Charleston’s lesser known but rising neighborhoods is the Charleston Brewery District. It’s a community of ten breweries “sharing their love of beer with the Lowcountry,” as they like to boast. It’s also an example of savvy entrepreneurs working together to create a tourist hotspot, benefitting both their businesses and their community.

Used with permission from the Charleston Brewery District

Creative Collaboration

Tarah Gee, president of the Charleston Brewery District, says there are many advantages to working together. Two innovative ideas rocking it for both the breweries and the community: 

  • Free Shuttle
    The ten breweries have chipped in to provide a free shuttle every Saturday. Beer enthusiasts ride from brewery to brewery, sampling and enjoying.
     
  • Keep Charleston Beautiful
    Once a month, the breweries take turns hosting a neighborhood clean-up. The breweries provide the bags and volunteers provide the umph. Afterward, everyone gathers for a beer. 

What about you? How can you and your competitors work together? 

LET’s WORK TOGETHER

What I’m Working On This Month

Join me November 4 as I present an inspiring workshop for the Women Food & Ag Network. Here’s the scoop!

What I’m Tuned In To This Month

  1. It takes a team, even in the craft beer industry.
  2. October was National Women’s Small Business Month: Two women forge their way and help others to do the same.
  3. What makes Wisconsin special: One brewery’s pandemic business model.
  4. Are predicted shortages stressing your gift plans? Give an Ice Age Trail poster.

Your Brain on Autumn

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Raise your hand if you like Oktoberfest beer. I do! I do! I’m not sure if it’s the beer itself or its relationship to autumn, but when this malty Märzen shows up on shelves, my tastebuds are aglow (and my pocketbook is open). 

Little did Bavaria’s Crown Prince and his lovely Therese know their wedding would initiate a marketing strategy for generations to come. Beer isn’t the only industry that embraces autumn. Nor is autumn the only season businesses embrace. But since leaves are turning, let’s examine why it is that autumn is the second largest consumer spending season of the year, followed only by winter with Christmas.

The Psychology Behind Autumnal Marketing

Seasonal marketing is about looking at the calendar, identifying appropriate opportunities and capitalizing on them. But just what is it about autumn that captures our soul?

Autumn is about warmth
Even though the days grow shorter and the air is cooler, autumn resonates with a warmth we all cherish. We don our soft flannels. We sit by the campfire. We relish in the reds, golds, browns. It’s no surprise brewers chose a rich, amber-style lager to represent Oktoberfest. 

Autumn is about memories
Hiking crisp trails, jumping in piles of leaves, cheering our football team, swooning over apple pie—autumn is a season of memories, senses and association. Perhaps no product captures this psyche better than Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte. 

Autumn is about preparation and hunkering in
Autumn transitions us into winter. We batten our homes and tidy up our gardens. Farmers markets are a cornucopia of pumpkins, apples, peppers, honey, and all things comforting in cold months ahead. 

Apply Autumn to Your Marketing
Studying autumn helps us more creatively market our business. Whether it’s social media content or your products themselves, don’t miss this seasonal opportunity.

LET’s WORK TOGETHER

What I’m Working On This Month

Our own Octoberfest! Every year my husband and I take two weeks off for a “seasonal celebration of sipping and scenery.” As a creative exercise, I design a promotional poster to mark the event. We’ve been doing this quite a few years, which means I have a wall lined with posters!

What I’m Tuned In To This Month

  1. An Open Letter to AirBnB: We’ve become avid AirBnB-ers. This letter brings valid thoughts and discussion. 
  2. Green Fire: Emmy award-winning film exploring Aldo Leopold’s land ethic, complete with discussion guide.
  3. Sautéed Broccoli With Toasted Garlic, Orange and Sesame: Our garden broccoli is still going strong. This sounds good!
  4. The Very Best Thing To Do With a Good Mood: Good and bad moods—how to use them to achieve your goals.