If you’re reading this

September is National Literacy Month and part of my company’s mission is to contribute a portion of profits to literacy organizations. I mean, can you IMAGINE not being able to read?! Almost 800 million people worldwide are illiterate.

I can go on and on, but this article is not so much about my passion for increasing worldwide literacy.

It’s about encouraging YOU to incorporate YOUR passion for whatever cause you are passionate about into your business.

There’s an expanding trend in business creation called social enterprise. These are for-profit businesses that exist to both sell a product or service as well as contribute to cause.

Wikipedia defines the term as “social mission driven organizations which apply market-based strategies to achieve a social purpose. The movement includes both non-profits that use business models to pursue their mission and for-profits whose primary purposes are social.”

For every pair of shoes TOMS Shoes sells, they give one pair of shoes to a needy child. That is the model the company has been built on.

Every time a customer makes a purchase from children’s clothing company Booda Brand, the company donates a book to the literacy organization Room to Read.

Even if your company wasn’t founded on this type of model, you can always incorporate it.

Most business people have some social cause that moves them. Perhaps you have a friend or relative who fought a valiant battle with a particular disease.

Or you’ve traveled to somewhere and seen first hand the need for housing or clean water or health care there. You may already personally contribute to or volunteer for this cause.

Here’s why you might consider bringing it into your business. Sure you can increase awareness and raise even more funds for your cause, but beyond that, it’s another differentiating factor for your company.

It’s a way to boost business, generate consumer goodwill, increase brand loyalty and give back at the same time.

By the numbers

One study conducted annually over the past 15 years continually shows that more than 80% of consumers would choose one company over another because of its association with a good cause.

Another study found 90.7% think it’s important for companies to support causes and charities.

From a corporate perspective, 52% of companies have enhanced relationships with their target demographic as a result of their cause marketing efforts.

Like it or not, more and more customers want to know that the companies they do business with are socially conscious – that they’re in business to do more than just make a profit.

How are you going to respond?

More from:

• Read more about innovative social ventures at Beyond Profit
• The results of a cause consumer behavior study from Cone
• Building the capacity of your world, from regular contributor Patricia Frame

Image: Robin Woltman via Flickr, Creative Commons

Lori Saitz is founder of Zen Rabbit Baking Company. She shares happiness by helping business people show appreciation for and give recognition to customers and employees with The Gratitude Cookie™. With an understanding of the value of creating strong connections and experiences, she supports clients in increasing customer loyalty, referrals and profits. Connect with Lori on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook

Share Your Thoughts on this article here: Connecting With Clients Through a Greater Purpose

If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Women Grow Business, it’s that it’s a growing, warm and welcoming village.

In that, it “takes a village…” etc.

Image: Julie Falk, Creative Commons

This blog community, which is so wonderfully supported by Network Solutions, is amazing. Look at the women who volunteer their time to write for it. Look at the people who support and engage with us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Amplify. At our first #wgbiz Happy Hour, many of us got to meet IRL for the first time – and liked what we saw offline – and that was pulled together again, by volunteers.

And the first-ever Women Grow Business Boot Camp, sponsored by Network Solutions and Steptoe & Johnson LLP, which kicks off Saturday, could never have come to be without the support of the community.

From the speakers, to the volunteers, to the photography which is being donated by Aaron Thompson Photography (and possibly live-streaming, but I’ll tell you about that when it’s confirmed) … we’ve literally bootstrapped this sold-out boot camp (and we have a wait list to boot!) on the backs of our community.

To all of you – thank you so very, very much.

And to you, who’ve stumbled upon this blog for the first time (because I know you’re out there), why not join us?

The easiest way to get involved is to write for us on your experiences and learnings as a woman entrepreneur in a wide range of fields (check out the diverse categories we publish posts in) … and if you enjoy it, maybe you’ll join the ever-growing team of dynamic contributors to this village, er, blog. Interested? Please let me know!

After all, it really does take a village, doesn’t it?

More from Women Grow Business:

• A conversation with the “rock star boss,” Lynn Tilton
• Making the connection at and with WGB
• Regular contributor Tinu Abayomi-Paul on the limits of social networking surrogacy

Shonali Burke is editor of Women Grow Business and one of the country’s leading business communicators, who was named to PRWeek’s inaugural top “40 Under 40″ list of US-based PR professionals. She specializes in creating and implementing integrated (online and off), results-based, measurable communication programs for clients both large and small at Shonali Burke Consulting. An accredited business communicator, she is also Adjunct Faculty at Johns Hopkins University’s M.A. in Communications program and active in the local communications community as President of IABC/DC Metro. Talk to her via her blog, Waxing UnLyrical or Twitter.

Share Your Thoughts on this article here: Will You Join Our Village?

It’s funny where life will take you.

If you’d told me, 10 years ago, that not only would I be living and working in the capital of a world superpower, I’d have giggled. If you’d told me, five years ago, how incredibly important social media would become to my life, I’d have raised my eyebrows. And if you’d told me, one year ago, that today I would be part of an incredibly vibrant community of women entrepreneurs and leaders, I’d have shaken my head in disbelief.

Amazing, isn’t it? Someone, pinch me.

As I step into Jill Foster’s editorial shoes at Women Grow Business, I’m extremely aware those are some big shoes to fill. Jill has done an incredible job building this community, populating it with women who have incredibly big spirits, overwhelming smarts and the generosity to share both, and garnering the accolades it so richly deserves.

And that’s what makes this community so exciting; not just the intelligence that buzzes through it, but the dialog it engenders.

The Power of Community

Women Grow Business is nothing without you – the women who have built it. And I know that together we’ll take it to higher and higher levels, talking and teaching and helping each other to grow and learn and succeed.

But really – it’s nothing without you.

So please do keep the great thoughts and ideas coming, so that we can build upon the foundation Jill set in place (and cheer her on as she lives her talk, something she’s taught us all to do).

Ladies, let’s crush (h/t Gary) 2010.

Image: nascarOsO, Creative Commons

Shonali Burke is editor of Women Grow Business and one of the country’s leading business communicators, who was named to PRWeek‘s inaugural top “40 Under 40″ list of US-based PR professionals. She specializes in creating and implementing integrated (online and off), results-based, measurable communication programs for clients both large and small at Shonali Burke Consulting. An accredited business communicator, she is also Adjunct Faculty at Johns Hopkins University’s M.A. in Communications program and active in the local communications community as President of IABC/Washington. She is frequently invited to speak on public relations and integrated communications-related topics, including measurement, effective integrated public relations, cause marketing, PR on a budget, and social media. Talk to her via her blog, Waxing UnLyrical, or Twitter.

Share Your Thoughts on this article here: Taking Over the Reins at WGBiz: The Power of Community

Over the past year or so, I’ve seen more and more non-profits and companies create Facebook fan pages for their organizations. Facebook calls fan pages “a customizable presence for an organization, product, or public personality to join the conversation with Facebook users.” Fan pages are great because they are designed for organizations, but they work a lot like personal pages.

Image I’m a Big Fan by Brittany Bush, Creative Commons

You can customize them; you can post status updates, links, photos and videos; and updates show up on fans’ streams.

So, you’ve set-up a Facebook fan page for your company, now what?
Here are some of my favorite Facebook fan pages and reasons I think they’re terrific and effective.

Stanford University – http://www.facebook.com/stanford

• The status updates are a mix of campus news, alumni news, sports updates, research and university news.
• The page has a good mix of updates, links, photos and videos.
• I love the office hours with world-renowned professors. Each week, there is a short video of a professor discussing some important work; the professor takes questions from fans throughout the week.
• I also appreciate the handy list of Stanford Web sites and the photo albums.

Dunkin Donuts – http://www.facebook.com/DunkinDonuts

• When you visit this Facebook fan page, you are not taken to the Wall by default, but rather to a promo.
• This fan page uses a custom Tab for Maurice, the Dunkin Donuts mascot.
• Dunkin Donuts encourages fan posts to the Wall; there are even videos posted by fans.
• To manage fan posts, “DD Facebook Etiquette” is posted right on the front page; this makes it clear that DD welcomes fan interaction, but within specific parameters.

Aquilent – http://www.facebook.com/Aquilent

• It’s clear that Aquilent is targeting potential recruits and existing staff with its Facebook page.
  This government contractor does a great job of showcasing the company’s culture and events.
• The posts are a mix of updates about events at Aquilent that cover technology, health and fun.
• The photos are great and seem to generate lots of great comments from fans.

PBS – http://www.facebook.com/pbs

• I love how the PBS fan page encompasses PBS’ different offerings, including TV, Web site and online store.
• Many of the posts actively solicit fan engagement. A recent post asks “NewsHour correspondents detail their favorite books, films, concerts and plays of the year. What do you think of their picks?”
• Facebook fans were recently offered a 20% off coupon + free shipping. Nice insider post with a custom coupon code that lets PBS track the source of the sale; great e-commerce tie-in!
• PBS sponsors a discussion forum where fans can start discussions about any topic related to PBS and its programs and services.
• The fan page also lists online events that fans can participate in, including live chats.

City of Alexandria – http://www.facebook.com/AlexandriaVAGov

• As a resident of Alexandria, I think the city does a great job of posting the most important city news, updates and events. I get weather advisories, health updates, and highlights of city events.
• I’m still subscribed to the City’s emergency alerts and still get my Alexandria Gazette weekly; the Facebook fan page complements these services really nicely.

Matrix Group International – http://www.facebook.com/MatrixGroup

• Since I run the place, I better like my company’s Facebook fan page.
• But seriously, I think the Matrix Group marketing team is doing a good job of highlighting company culture and events, Web site launches to showcase our work, and individual staff accomplishments.
• We try to post a mixture of updates, links and photos.
• We also promote all of our webinars through Facebook to try and reach a wider audience.

How about you?

What are some of your favorite Facebook fan pages? What do the pages do and feature that make them so effective?

If you want more tips for creating an effective Facebook page, check out these articles on All Facebook and Mashable. There are also great resources directly from Facebook.

Thanks Joanna for your Women Grow Business support from The Matrix Files.

Founder/CEO and self-proclaimed Chief Troublemaker of Matrix Group International Joanna Pineda is a Women Grow Business enthusiast. She is known for her visionary big-picture thinking and drive for excellence. Combining her broad liberal arts background and passion for technology, she started Matrix Group in 1999, today a leading interactive agency. As a trusted advisor, Joanna inspires and motivates her clients and employees alike to simply, “be better” with her mantra being: Do or Do Not. There is no try!

Share Your Thoughts on this article here: Chief Troublemaker and Top Tips for a Great Facebook Fan Page

My daughter is a tween who just started middle school. Every school day she wakes up to live in her world. Her essentials (and I mean essentials in every sense of the word):

• Clean pair of UGG® boots
• Fully charged iTouch
• Umbrella if it rains
• Cell phone for texting

I am a women in my mid-40’s and I run a small business.
I take care of a tween. Every weekday I wake up to live in my world with my non-essentials:

• UGGs: Are you kidding? They may be stylish but they are not going on my feet.
• Fully charged iTouch. I’ll take my chances. Not a big deal.
• Umbrella if it rains. When I manage to find one, it comes in handy. But I can live without it.
• Cell phone for texting. I have email! Definetely not an essential.

I have a list of essentials (coffee is one of them) but not to bore you with that list – and to quickly make my point – there is a serious disconnect here i.e. nothing in my daughter’s world really relates to mine.

Enter empathy (the perfect antidote for sustaining relationships)
Just as empathy can improve a parent/child relationship, it can also help companies communicate better with their prospects, customers, and constituents. In the book, Wired to Care, there are amazing stories of business transformation when organizations begin to see the world through their customer’s eyes.

More nimble than competitors
Companies that are able to create widespread empathy are more nimble when compared to their competitors. They have the propensity to take on risks or something new. And they have the gut-level certitude to stick with an idea that doesn’t take off right away.

I think the biggest gift empathy gives a company is the deep sense of trust that builds among the market they serve. Expressing empathy nurtures and sustains relationships. It builds loyalty, engagment and respect. All of these things are essential for building a community of enthusiasts around a brand, product, or service.

Exercising our empathetic muscles
In the book Wired to Care, author Dev Patnaik talks about how humans are hard-wired for empathy:

“Humans are a social, caring species. Our limbic brains are designed to make us curious about the feelings of other people and animals. This is what separates us from lower-order creatures. It allows us to communicate and collaborate with others. And it allows us to read between the lines to glean information that may not be explicity stated.”

Groups and loss of empathy
The book also describes how we quickly lose our ability to exercise empathy when we assimilate in groups. We begin to lose our intuition and don’t trust our gut-feeling as to what is going on in the world around us.

This point in particular brings back responses I’ve held toward my daughter and her daily essentials:

“Leave those UGG® boots in your closet. They’re hideous. I wouldn’t be caught dead with them on”.

“Forget about the iTouch today and read a book instead!”

“Can’t find your umbrella? It’s okay. It’s just water. You’ll live…”

“I lived 20 years without a cell phone and texting. One day without it isn’t going to harm you.”

Sounds like a pack of “moms raising tweens” to me. But hey, I am getting MUCH better. But this type of dialogue is a given when empathy is absent.

But you say you’re the “expert” (or as in my case, I adopt the non-empathetic, all-knowing parent that doesn’t truly empathize with the teenager’s environment).

I have found that empathy is often lost when we become the expert at something. The title “expert” is often associated with “I know what is best for you” or “let me talk and you just listen”.

I just wonder how much gets left at the table when we neglect to bringforth the intellectual capital of the other party.

Questions to you
So with your experience and Wired to Care in mind, how can you walk in your customer’s shoes to fully understand their needs?

What is one thing you can do today to exercise your empathetic muscles?

How will your customers recognize your empathy for them?

More from:

• Terri Holley and her community building series at Women Grow Business;
• Marissa Levin and how empathy plus imagination impact leadership;
• Adaptive Path on business empathy: 6 questions to connect experience to strategy;
• Community.Feministing explores if and how empathy is good for business;
• Mind Tools and 10 tips for cultivating empathy in communications.

Guest contributor Terri Holley writes our series “Community Building Breakthroughs and Social Media.” She is the owner of Creative Blog Solutions and a social media strategist, plus a certified life/business coach. A forward-thinker and relationship-centric gal, Terri supports small businesses who understand the value of using social technologies to build deeper relationships with prospects and customers.

Image I Care by Jannie T., Creative Commons.

Share Your Thoughts on this article here: Community Building Breakthroughs: Got Empathy?

Marketers who listen gain valuable information regarding the perception and authority of their brand. As such, sophisticated tools have emerged to give marketers a premium seat at the water cooler. Google the words “listening” and “social media” and you’ll get hundreds of search results relevant to the topic. From tips on how to listen, to what to listen to, to optimal times to listen, conversations focusing on listening to the social media space are ubiquitous.

Often missing are conversations focusing on conversational listening.

Conversational listening transcends traditional information gathering/”ear to the ground” work to focus intently on not just hearing, but understanding the other party. Conversational listening requires less focus on the business and more attention on the customer.

As marketers in the web 2.0 world, we must hone our skills as conversational listeners. We must focus intently on ensuring that customers feel seen, known and heard. And we must listen, not just to hear, but to also understand.

Listening to understand builds stamina in the following areas:

• Powerful questioning.
  Listening to understand creates an entry way for asking powerful questions. And as we seek to understand, our questions become more provocative, creative and relevant. As we strive to reveal how things work or what makes people tick, our inquiries become much more inquisitive. This enables us to experience customers on a deeper level and allow us to really get a true sense of how they perceive our brand. What powerful question, that if asked, would create a breakthrough for your business?
• Trying on a new perspective.
  Listening to understand allows us to experience life as perceived by those who we are in relationship with. As a result, we begin to walk in their shoes, see things as they see them and experience life from a different angle. What customer experience has not been explored due to inside/outside thinking?
• Expressing empathy.
  When businesses listen to understand, they send the messages, “You are important to us. Your opinion matters. We care about your experience with our company.” This builds a sense of empathy among both parties. And where there is empathy, there is a high comfort level for sharing freely, voluntarily and proactively. People are transparent, real and honest. How are you expressing empathy in your day-to-day interactions with customers?
• Hearing what isn’t being said.
  Attitudes, perceptions and beliefs not always articulated in words. When we listen to understand we become better at intuitive and environmental listening. We begin to hear things that aren’t being said. We read between the lines. What isn’t being said about your company and what would you love to hear?

Powerful questioning. A new perspective. Empathy. Hearing what cannot be articulated in words.

When businesses listen to understand they can effortlessly create a community of enthusiasts around their brand, products and services.

More from:

• The Art of Conversation – It’s About Listening Not Marketing
• The Practice of Conversational Listening
• Time to Start Whacking Away At Conversational Marketing

Guest contributor Terri Holley writes our series “Community Building Breakthroughs and Social Media.” She is the owner of Creative Blog Solutions and a social media strategist, plus a certified life/business coach. A forward-thinker and relationship-centric gal, Terri supports small businesses who understand the value of using social technologies to build deeper relationships with prospects and customers.

(Image Road Conversations by Alex Barth, Creative Commons)

Share Your Thoughts on this article here: Community Building Breakthroughs: 4 Ways to Listen (and Understand)

82 million & counting: a forever changed Web
From homemade movies on YouTube, to movie and book reviews, comments on blogs, and entries in Wikipedia, user-generated content (UGC) has changed the Web forever. I can’t imagine the Amazon shopping experience without comments and ratings from other moms, the posts from the 500 or so people I follow on Twitter could keep me occupied and interested all day, and I thank God every day for the thousands of homemade Thomas the Tank Engine movies on YouTube that keep my five-year old enthralled on a rainy day. Mashable reported that more than 82 million people in the US created content online in 2008.

So how come most organizations shy away from incorporating UGC on their sites?

I think it’s because most organizations are not equipped to deal with UGC, good, bad or indifferent.

And they are deathly afraid of negative comments. Here’s my take on UGC, why it’s here to stay and why most organizations need a UGC strategy:

• UGC can take many forms. A magazine site that allows visitors to rate articles support UGC. A store that allows ratings supports UGC. A blog that welcomes comments invites UGC.
• Sites that welcome UGC invite participation. And participation by the right people encourages more participation and more followers.
• UGC lets you tap into the expertise – and experiences of your members, customers, and partners, which will enrich the content you provide.
• Supporting UGC on your site or application does not mean that you lose control. You can set up guidelines and moderate comments. On this blog, for example, all comments are immediately posted but I get notifications and I spam (delete) all comments that look spammy. Yes, I get the occasional snarky or negative comment, but unless the post contains profanity, I leave it on the site. The New York Times recently announced that Wikipedia, the site built on UGC, will soon impose a layer of editorial reviews on articles about living people.
• Celebrating UGC lets you tap into most visitors’ need — for true interaction with you and your organization. I read every comment on this blog and respond personally when I get a request for information or assistance. I believe these interactions have helped Matrix Group make followers out of readers.
• If your organization is suffering from criticism re: transparency and responsiveness, UGC can help you face your critics directly. The Direct Selling Association launched a blog 18 months ago to counter false perceptions about direct selling. Although apprehensive about allowing comments in real-time, the organization decided it needed to make a strong statement about integrity and transparency. The results have been great. Negative comments are opportunities to address criticisms and myths. More importantly, the negative comments have been few and far between.
• Supporting UGC is also a wonderful way … to let your staff, clients, partners and friends network and share their experiences. I was moved by the dozens of memories that members of the Matrix family posted to our 10th anniversary microsite. I didn’t know about some of the antics and every single post was a treat!

How about you?
What’s your take on user-generated content? What are your favorite UGC sites? Has your organization taken the UGC plunge?

Founder/CEO and self-proclaimed Chief Troublemaker of Matrix Group International Joanna Pineda is a Women Grow Business enthusiast. She is known for her visionary big-picture thinking and drive for excellence. Combining her broad liberal arts background and passion for technology, she started Matrix Group in 1999, today a leading interactive agency. As a trusted advisor, Joanna inspires and motivates her clients and employees alike to simply, “be better” with her mantra being: Do or Do Not. There is no try!

Thanks Joanna Pineda for sharing with Women Grow Business from The Matrix Files.

Share Your Thoughts on this article here: The Chief Troublemaker Asks: Who's Afraid of User-Generated Content?

Beth J Bates

Guest post from Beth J Bates. Beth consults with businesses and nonprofits on social media tool selection and strategy and helps her clients find effective ways to leverage these new mediums to meet marketing goals.

Cultivating a cause is about supporting a community. And while having a website presence is important, supporters are looking for more engagement; not only with the organization but also with each other. A few years ago implementing a community platform was complex and expensive – out of reach of most grassroots nonprofits. Then social media happened.

I founded GoodDogz.org in 2003. I saw a need to educate potential owners on the importance of adding a dog to your family. A dog is a life-long decision and should never be taken lightly. I also wanted to help dog adopters with issues so that dogs stay in homes and out of shelters. GoodDogz.org provides these services through our website and through offline initiatives.

When we created the organization, we launched a website that suited our needs for five years and was well received by our community. The problem? It was too static. While we were providing great information for animal welfare volunteers and dog owners, there was no interaction or engagement.

In 2008, we decided to take the organization to the next level, growing our constituency and expanding our message. Part of this expansion included redesigning the website. And part of the redesign required an online community as well as a variety of other social media tools.

Our GoodDogz.org community would serve the animal welfare cause, enabling dog owners and new adopters to get support for issues like training and health problems. Members could upload photos and share stories and ideas. Rescue groups could also add their adoption events. We ultimately wanted a tool that would allow our members to freely communicate.

Enter NING.

In the end, NING was the perfect platform for our needs. In reality it provided us with more than we needed. And more importantly, it’s virtually free. We chose NING because:

·         We could easily customize the look and feel to match our new website.

·         We could register members and gather demographical information.

·         Members could add their own events to a robust calendaring system.

·         It included a discussion forum that we could feed into our website homepage.

·         It was easy for users to share videos and images and it integrated easily with Flickr.

·         It was virtually maintenance free.

We did opt for a few paid services to ensure that our community looked more professional including:

·         Ad removal (NING posts ads within your community to offset costs)

·         Removal of NING promotional links

The completed community fulfilled all of our goals. We now have a place where dog lovers can meet to get help with issues and share ideas. As part of our 2009 marketing plan, we’ll be offering special programs focusing on the community including a dog adopter support initiative and rescue group “groups” – a place where organizations can have their own homes within the community.

Community is the foundation for causes and nonprofits need to convey that sense of community online. NING is an easy-to-use, inexpensive alternative for online nonprofit communities.

GoodDogz.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to educating potential dog owners on dog selection and care and supporting the efforts of rescue groups. We believe that by assisting with good dog-owner matches, we’ll give each family the best opportunity for a life-long relationship with their new dog and help to keep dogs out of shelters.

Share Your Thoughts on this article here: Need a Community Platform for Your Nonprofit? NING is Your Answer.