Choosing a beverage can be a complicated decision.  In this economy, every decision is complicated!  You need to squeeze every benefit you can from every penny you spend.  This got me thinking about what is in my fridge to drink.  Really it was based on a comment that was made earlier in the week about not having enough milk on hand.  I countered the complaint with “milk is too expensive!”.

I am a firm believer that food = fuel, and that health care starts in my own kitchen and in what we put in our mouths.

Unfortunately, as firmly as I believe that, I am like everyone else who succumbs to packaged foods and fast meals, and I have for years.

Something got me thinking about that this morning.  I was trying to figure out WHY I was always giving in…and I realized that it was just EASY. Too easy, in fact.

Growing up as a kid, my parents worked every day and Saturday was our ‘chores day’.  We ate out occasionally – and by that I mean once or twice a month.  There was no McDonalds in my home town (circa 1960- 1973).  The only “fast food” were a few burger joints in the 15 mile radius that actually cooked REAL meat on a grill. Stopping at a place like that was a major treat – usually reserved for a summer night, after one of my little brother’s “away” baseball games.  Otherwise, we only went out for a “fancy” dinner on Easter Sunday.  I didn’t know how lucky I really had it back then.

That is what got me thinking this morning.  I have fallen prey to buying a couple 2-litre bottles of soda when I shop (usually amounting to 4 a week) as an alternate beverage to the standard glass of water in our house.  It seemed cheaper than, say, an extra gallon of milk.

Today, I decided  to really VERIFY that was true.  So, while making a speedy run to the store this morning, I first checked out the prices of other things I tend to buy for my family to drink other than the water I push continously with each meal.

The soda aisle:  my experiment today proves that this aisle can, single-handedly, rob us blind – both financially over time, and nutritionally.

What I discovered this morning at my favorite store was:

2 litre bottles of soda today were priced at $1.79 (brand named).

Milk was priced at $3.19 a gallon.

I don’t know about your family, but if I am going to buy soda, I want the name brand.  If I want Coke, then “cola” will not do. $1.79 for a 2-litre bottle seems like highway robbery to me for a bottle of water and sugar mixed with chemicals.

One 2-litre bottle of soda = approximately 2 quarts.

Thus, two 2-litre bottles of soda = a little over a gallon.

$1.79 per 2-litre of soda x 2 bottles = $3.58

I gallon of milk = $3.19

Value for my dollar:  Sugar and water with zero nutrients  vs. calcium and protien and lots of nutrients?    NO CONTEST!

From now on, if we crave a soda, we will have to go buy one from the $1 menu and enjoy it like fine champagne. My house will no longer include soda and my  family is getting milk, water, real fruit juice (I squeeze myself) or ice tea (I brew myself)  for their choice.  Yeah, it takes work on my part, but then so does scheduling dental and doctors visits and driving to them!

Hey Pete – YOU WIN!

Next up:  COMPLETE elimination of “packaged foods” from my house.  THIS should be interesting – and it seems a daunting task, so check back with me the next 6 successive Fridays!

Kwedit is currently only for digital goods, however, their partnership with 7-11 Stores will create a new payment method that changes the landscape of online sales, especially using Kwedit Direct!

In the New York Times article “Buy Now, Pay Later (Maybe with your allowance), Kwedit bring online purchasing to the under-13 crowd, as well as a tipping point to add new buyer personas to e-commerce.

Currently, Kewdit is being used strictly for digital goods in children’s games, where they can make purchases of digital goods in the game using a promise to pay.  As they do pay for the goods, their “kwedit” score goes  up, allowing them to purchase more on a promise.  Kwedit is reportedly seeking the “sweet spot” where the kewdit limit is not too high, but not low enough to discourage the purchases.  At the same time, the digital goods sellers suffer no real loss for non-payment (except obviously their time in creating them).

The cooler part of this new platform is the potential in the future availability to add “Kwedit Direct” as a payment form for all other online transactions.  According to the New York Times article, the buyer will be able to make a purchase online using the Kwedit account, then print out a bar code and take it to 7-11 to make a payment in person using their cash, or their credit or debit card.

This potentially increases online sales to those who have avoided buying online because they do not want to expose their bank account, credit or debit cards – or they simply do not have one.

This is an exciting opportunity for online merchants and worth watching as it rolls out!

Economic hardship has impacted every facet of life – and that is also true for law firms (yes, I know you find that hard to believe, but they are experiencing layoffs as well).  One law firm has stepped up, listened to their clients, and answered a need clients were complaining about.

I read an impressive story that will be published in the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s latest edition. Foley and Lardner, LLP, raised the bar in client satisfaction, and erased the biggest fear of anyone who is thinking of hiring a lawyer.

That fear is about receiving a bill for more than they expected in legal fees.

Its a universal problem – people don’t hire lawyers even when they should, because they do not believe they can afford to.  It’s not just the initial retainer, it’s the fear that once the attorney is retained for a matter, the bill becomes an unknown quantity – a day to day worry that they may have a second legal issue to deal with when they can’t afford to pay their lawyer.

Foley and Lardner, LLP get an A+ in client care, because they LISTENED to their clients, and answered their concern.

In fact, they may create a World Wide Rave as defined by David Meerman Scott in his book of that title.  They gave up control to the client – Rule 3 of the Rave!!   When it comes to billing and budgeting of legal matters, they have successfully taken away the fear of  that big ulgy surprise when their clients open the envelope containing their legal bill every month.

In response to client concerns (this is a concern of ANYONE who hires a lawer for ANY legal matter),  they developed a proprietary software system, part of which allows clients of all 1000 of the lawyers in the firm to interactively share real-time billing information and keep their legal matter on a budget.  Clients can go online anytime and see trending in the billable hours by their lawyer,  and make contact to discuss options for their case BEFORE they go over budget and have yet another legal matter to deal with.

The full story was reported in the Wall Street Journal on Jan 5, 2010.

To be honest, this system does more than just allow the client to manage their legal bills and budget, and that is why it cost $1 Million to put in place.  However, this is a true investment in the firm.  It serves as a management tool, as a client communication tool and as a marketing tool to attract new business!

Smaller firms will say they can’t afford $1Million investment to do the same thing.  They don’t have to.  Small firms can do the same thing, very easily, using much simpler tools.  The real question has always been:  will they come out from behind the curtain on fees and allow the client control?  Will they allow the client to speak honestly and hold them to a budget the client can afford?  If they are smart, they surely will do that – and reap the rewards of (a) honest communications with their clients; and (b) growth of their law practices.

The bar has been raised – let’s see if a precedent in billing practices has now been set,  and which lawyers and law firms creatively  rise to the occasion!

In general, using Social Media for Marketing is like any other kind of Marketing. So let’s start with a definition of Marketing – because too many people I know think that Marketing is the same as Selling, or that Selling is an automatic response to Marketing.

It is not.

Marketing is a way to “becoming known”.  When you “become known”,  you are building your “brand”.  This is true whether your “brand” is Coca Cola or Sharon O’Dell.  A “brand” is simple.  To market effectively, you then have to define what you are “branding”.

PRODUCT Marketing:  When you think of “Coca Cola”(product)  you don’t think of the CEO, or the Marketing Director, or even the gal on the bottling line.  You think of the PRODUCT…. a bottle or a can of Coke.  Their marketing is to keep that bottle or can at the top of your mind every time you make a purchasing decision to buy soft drinks.  Now, most people go to step 2 before they buy:  they ask a friend or a few friends.  ”Hey Carol, have you ever tried that soda called “Coke” before?”.  They gather information before they make that decision!

SERVICES Marketing:  On the other hand, (service) when you think of finding a doctor, lawyer, realtor, consultant or expert to help with something what do you do?  Ok sure, some people go to the yellow pages and find the category then close their eyes and put their finger on the page.  Then open their eyes and who ever is the closeest gets their call.  MOST PEOPLE DO NOT USE THIS METHOD but it has been known to happen to us all.  Generally – what do we do?  We know someone from our network and/or then we ask our family and friends.  If you are in a service category, then YOU become the brand.  Plain and simple.  Thus,  your marketing message has to be about selling the brand “YOU”.

Now you may think that this is stupid and simple and by now you may be saying to yourself “I know that! So what!!”  To which I say, GOOD! Why then, after admitting that you know this, do you think that Social Media MARKETING is any different?

Why do you think that you can post to my Facebook page that you are selling something and then instantly think I should be buying it?  Do you know me?  Do you know if I need this thing you are selling?

Understand, I DO want to know what you are doing – if you are posting to my page, you have “made it” into my friends or acquaintance circle, and I will probably do my best to support your efforts – especially if you or what you are doing has meaning to my life – but THAT is marketing my friend!  That’s it!  Do you “get it”? Hope so!  That is STEP 1 of a process. Nothing more. nothing less.

If you are going to post it again, please make sure you do so in an INTERESTING way.  Don’t just “re-post” it.  YAWN.  Remember that most of us generally SCAN our social media pages.  If I see the same thing – again and again, I can’t tell you how fast I scan past it.  On the other hand, even if it’s an ad or a sales pitch, if the person posting it takes time to make it PERSONAL, I do stop, read and (most importantly) THINK about it.

That right there, that thinking process is what needs to be provoked for social media marketing to be effective.  ALL social media (online or offline) is EMOTIONAL. Making it personal creates an emotional tie (that may bind).

Otherwise, congrats!  You have just created the “new and improved” interruptive advertising campaign on my page – and trust me, most of us hate that and wil get rid of it one way or the other (hide, un-friend, mentally put that person/picture on “scan past” or “ignore”.  Just like most typical reponses to TV, Radio, and print media advertising.  This is the new frontier – not a new canvas on which to continue old tactics.

Thus, STEP 2 of this process is to contact me directly and START A CONVERSATION about it.  This is where “the rubber meets the road” to coin an old phrase.  During this conversation I will realize I need what you have; or I may be willing to share it with my friends on your behalf.

Sharing is as important as buying – I have just effectively told my friends, “I trust this person”.  ” I know this person”.

Get creative!  Get personal!  Get REAL!  Most of all, START A CONVERSATION!