Remember when you were in middle school and you started getting tests with essay questions on them? Someone in the class would usually ask, “does spelling count?” And the answer was always “yes!” Well, things haven’t changed any since then. Spelling is worth more than just a few extra points on an exam, it’s crucial, especially in a business setting. And nowhere is it more important than when composing email. Let’s face it – electronic communication is the preferred method of contact these days, so when you hit “send,” it better be right. Nothing bothers me more than getting an email full of typos – it is one of the most unprofessional things a person can do. If you’re sending an introductory note or, worse yet, a cover letter, it will get you noticed for all the wrong reasons – so much for first impressions. Even if you are writing to someone you know, maybe replying to an earlier email, typos give the impression that you’re sloppy, lazy or you just don’t care.

I realize these are hectic times and we are all very busy, but multi-tasking is not an excuse. Personally, I find it disrespectful of my time to receive an email with spelling or grammatical errors. I mean, how long does it take to give that note one last read to make sure everything is correct? And don’t count on “spell check” to do the job for you – if you meant to type “top” but “pot” came out, well, you get the idea.   

This goes for abbreviations, too. Twitter may allow only 140 characters for your messages, but there is no such limit on emails, so resist the urge to use short-cuts like “str8” or “btw.” That’s fine for when you’re texting your friends, but it won’t score you any points in the boardroom. And if you happen to be sending an email from your phone, that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. Just stop whatever else you may be doing and take the time to make sure everything is correct. Sure, it’s easier to write a message all in lower case or without any punctuation, but consider your audience. Here in the professional world, we’re all wearing our “big girl” pants, so communicate like a “big girl.” As for me, I appreciate a well-written note – it shows that the sender thinks enough of me to put a little time and effort into their endeavors. On the other hand, if I receive an email with more than three typos in it, I simply hit “delete.”

Chipotle’s ads are clean, crisp and iconic – If you see a foil-wrapped burrito, you know it’s an ad for Chipotle.

I just read a great article on SmartBlogs by Bernie Pitzel:  http://smartblogs.com/food-and-beverage/2012/04/27/dont-buck-tradition-build-on-it/ This article talks about how Chipotle launched into one of the largest brands by using traditional marketing: outdoor advertising and radio. Pitzel recalls a radio spot that I can literally sign out loud, even though I haven’t heard it in forever: “I’m talking about pork. Pork. Pork. Pork. Pork. What do I want at the end of my fork? I want pork.” This screams Chipotle. This article specifically talked about Chipotle’s traditional marketing, which has worked so well. But what about “new” marketing tactics like social media….

Well, Chipotle is also excelling at this. @ChipotleMexicanGrill has over 1.7 million “likes.” Of course they post about menu items, new things like reusable bags and gift cards for holidays, but what I love is at the end of all of their posts, the person signs it with their name –  Last week, Chipotle posted this:

I don’t know who “Joe” is, but it gives the BIG corporation and LARGE fan page a personality. And this “Joe” is not the only one who posts on the page – There’s Rusty and Myra and more….

Chipotle does a great job encouraging their fans to share links or images – The most popular I’ve seen was the BOGO Free burrito if you checked in on Facebook Places – And there were a ton of free burritos given out by the response I saw (and yes, I was one of those freebies!).

Now, let’s talk about TV ads – Chipotle ran an amazing ad during the 2012 Grammy Awards that caught the attention of viewers, but more importantly, made them tweet, Facebook & blog about the importance of the “modern day food chain.” If you haven’t seen this ad, watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMfSGt6rHos So I guess technically, this TV ad would be considered a ”traditional” marketing tactic, but the way it went viral is definitely more “modern” in technique.

Where am I going with all of this? Chipotle is using a mix of “traditional” marketing which is awesome, but pairing these tactics with their exploding social media marketing is making for a killer marketing plan. Why so killer, you ask? According to www.chipotle.com, comparing 1st Quarter 2012 to 1st Quarter 2011:

• Revenue increased 25.8% to $640.6 million
• Comparable restaurant sales increased 12.7%
• Restaurant level operating margin was 27.4%, an increase of 220 basis points
• Net income was $62.7 million, an increase of 35.1%
• Diluted earnings per share was $1.97, an increase of 34.9%

In addition to making amazing chicken burrito bowls, Chipotle is doing something right!

The book brings up many interesting points, one being about the significant relationship between how passionate and loyal people are to their communities and local economic growth.

I think this concept can apply to any place if you will and not just a “city”, as the author uses as his main example. Any time there is a strong relationship between a “place” and its “citizens,” there is growth. This can be seen in so many places; strong brand loyalty like Coke, epic band followings like the Beetles, loyal employees, and of course an engaged and flourishing community. I am fortunate to live in a lovable city and work for a lovable company.  I think everyone can benefit from trying to make their “city” a place where people feel emotionally engaged. I personally think it starts with building relationships…. And that’s a topic for another blog.

Peter Kageyama is speaking at a TEDx Front Range event in Loveland on May 10^th if you’re interested. http://www.ted.com/tedx/events/1367

 If a client is interested in raising awareness, we want to choose an effective product to giveaway that will encourage guests to be reminded of the organization. If a client is looking for an interactive promotional product that guests will use during the event, we will choose a fun product that is easy to carry around.

But here is where the marketing expertise comes into play. How many people will be attending the event? Will every attendee be interested in this product? Will the guests appreciate the product or will it go into their ‘junk drawer’? Lastly, should we give away a less expensive gift, understanding the risk of little to no return? All of these questions are extremely important when determining whether your business or organization should spend money.

Recently I attended a professional game where each attendee was given a promotional towel with the team’s logo and a sponsor logo printed on it. This immediately reminded me of the ‘Terrible Towel’ produced by the Pittsburgh Steelers. When I first received it, I was impressed. But as a marketing guru my first questions was, how much did these towels cost and did a sponsor pay a portion of the cost for production? The ‘Terrible Towel’ works because fans know to wave it around in the air when they are excited. If we were to pitch a similar idea to one of our clients, we would want to understand how many guests they expect to have and how much each towel costs to produce. It’s important to remember that if the team is losing, fans will not be excited and in result, will not wave around the promotional towel.

We can’t guarantee that a sports team will win or that people won’t throw your giveaway into their junk drawer; but we can be prepared with the right questions and research. Mantooth is dedicated to researching and planning our marketing tactics to ensure we are recommending the best bang for your buck.

When I got my first intern 25 years ago I was probably one of those that thought, “Finally the filing will get done and perhaps a few piles on my desk will disappear.” Not even close. Instead I found myself at my desk with this eager eyed individual in front of me just as a new puppy might be, with a look that seemed to be pleading, “Are we going to work, are we, are we, are we?” My first few weeks of internship were time consuming, as I created lists of jobs that needed to be done – a stack of projects ready when the intern came thru the door – along with a stack of “good girl” comments to hand out. I quickly realized that when an intern did a good job and was told, they couldn’t wait to tackle the next project.

If you don’t have time to dedicate to an intern, please don’t get one. An intern needs your devoted attention and the only way they will learn not to piddle in the house or destroy your favorite shoes is to be taught and encouraged. And, yes, interns will make mistakes but it’s important for them to know that YOU MAKE MISTAKES, too. Ultimately, though, becoming responsible for an intern and the job they do instills trust and confidence.

All of our interns have been young women, and before you file that discrimination suit, here’s why. We want to help encourage young women entering the professional world to be able to speak for themselves and be confident when asked to contribute. As it gains confidence, a puppy will venture out on its own more and more – it will come back to you for guidance yet it wants to explore and be noticed. It’s no different with an intern, given projects where they are able to contribute, gain their confidence and present ideas on their own. And you will find that you are just as proud of them as they are of themselves.

Leaving an intern alone to do their work is the ultimate goal and, as difficult as it is, needs to be done. Do not hover or micro manage your intern. Give them air to breathe and the opportunity to succeed or fail on their own. If it is success, celebrate with them and if it’s failure be there to encourage them the next time they try.

An intern can become an important part of your company, while helping them reach their goals can be extremely rewarding. Nothing is better than hearing back from them five, ten or even twenty years down the road, saying thanks for caring and showing me the way – see what I’m doing now – do you see, do you see, do you see?

Connie Hanrahan, owner of Mantooth Marketing Company has had over 80 interns in the last 25 years. Hanrahan was named Mentor of the Year by the Northern Colorado Business Report in 2010 for her dedicated work with interns.

A lot can be said about this image, and in many cases it can be true for anything in life. When you stand still, you are doing just that. As independent individuals, we all have the ability to change our paths- whether that path relate directly back to work, relationships or personal achievements, we believe that those are all contributions to achieving happiness.

We have three choices everyday: move forward, move backward or stand still. This brings me to an article I read in Wired Magazine last month titled, “Cultivating Genius in the 21st Century” (which I highly recommend reading). The article focuses in on the pattern of innovation and genius over the years, and how our society has shaped those who we consider “genius” and why. To sum it up, the article states that geniuses aren’t random, instead they arrive all at once in “tight clusters.” The article then goes on to explain why such “tight clusters” occur, “The secret, it turns out, is the presence of particular meta-ideas, which support the spread of other ideas.”

The article then goes on to explain, with different eras and examples, the presence of meta-ideas and how to spread them, including urbanization, education and the encouragement of risk-taking. The article ends with a bold statement, which reflects back on our initial topic at hand, “We’ve never needed geniuses more than we do now. The good news is that we can learn from the creative secrets of the past, from those outlier societies that produced Shakespeare and Plato and Michelangelo. And then we should look in the mirror. The excess is not an accident.”

We urge everyone, including ourselves, to move forward, to create a presence of meta-ideas and to support one another and spread those ideas to create genius.

For example, The Human Bean is one of our clients - there is a location on N. College Ave. in Fort Collins; N. College is currently under construction which is creating a mess right in front of their stand. Some days the entrance is closed all together and customers have to literally drive through orange cones behind the ally to get their coffee. Talk about customer loyalty! Instead of doing nothing and hoping for the best, we’ve taking this situation head on by creating banners giving direction, communicating on Facebook telling customers when the entrance will be closed and how to enter the parking lot when it is and finally, The Human Bean is rewarding customers with double punches and bounce backs during this time.

Bottom line is, BE PROACTIVE! Talk to your customers & reward them for their patronage. Your bottome line will thank you.

Meet Brady, Ashlee’s doggie:

Meet Pumpkin Spice, Kerrie’s cutie:

Meet Georgie, which is Connie’s owner (let’s be honest!):

Why blog about National Pet Day on a marketing blog? These “silly” holidays can be used as a great marketing “ploy!” For example: Today on The Human Bean’s Facebook page, we asked our fans to come by and tell the baristas the name of their pet to receive $1 off their drink! This is a great way to promote interaction with Facebook fans based on something fun!

There are “National Days” for everything you can imagine – Just Google it! You could base a marketing promotion on literally anything! National cookie day…National adoption awareness week…National hug your spouse day…National take a nap day… No, I am not making any of these up!

With that, Happy Pet Day to each of you!

That quote, alongside our mascot Boston-Terrier Georgie, is what stares each one of us at Mantooth in the face every day at our desks (when we aren’t out running around at meetings). If you think we’re joking, you should see the office on our meeting days. Connie Hanrahan, founder and owner of Mantooth, goes around and tapes inspirational posters all over the place just to remind us that there is no time like the present. We hope all of you, just like us, are doing something that you love to do, but we thought we  would share some inspiration.

5 things to get you fired up:

1. 1. Learn to love Mondays

Yes, yes, we know. Everyone hates Mondays. But you shouldn’t! Monday is the first day of a brand new week. The saying goes: you spend your New Years how you spend your year, well we believe you spend your Monday how you spend your week. Make Monday count and don’t approach it as just another work week, instead approach it as a NEW work week, and a better work week!

1. 2. Be corny

Is it a little bit corny to hang an inspirational poster up over your desk? Maybe, but it’s also effective. Pick your favorite, go-get-em quote, blow it up, print it out and put it somewhere that you will see it every day.

1. 3. Set your mentality EVERY morning

There is no such thing as waking up on the wrong side of the bed. Wake up every morning and tell yourself exactly how your day is going to go, tell yourself exactly how you will feel at the end of the day and then make it happen. Every day offers the chance to do something great, don’t let that day pass you by because you woke up and didn’t decide to have a good day.

1. 4. Have fun

Part of the reason all of us at Mantooth find the ability to be creative and excited about work is due to having fun while doing it. If you aren’t having fun doing what you’re doing, you should be doing something else! Turn even the most boring of tasks into fun, for example: one of our Account Managers likes to dance to Taylor Swift while copy editing.

1. 5. Read

Sign up for blogs, quotes of the day, RSS feeds and the like that motivate you.

Some good ones to check out:

• http://sethgodin.typepad.com
• http://www.todayisthatday.com/
• http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/
• http://geniustypes.com/

Share what fires you up with us on our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/themantoothcompany.