With his campaign in full swing and His message spreading rapidly, Jesus wanted feedback from the audience He was serving. He gathered his disciples and conducted a kind of impromptu quantitative research study. Based on what the disciples were hearing on the streets, in the temple and even in the marketplace, He asked them, “Who do men say I am?”

Why would he ask such a question especially if he already knew the answer?

Feedback required.

He wanted feedback from the audience He was serving. Not so that He could make changes to His message but to see if He was connecting. He wanted to know if the crowds were really getting it. If they understood who He was and what He was really about.

The initial feedback was positive. They were connecting even if they didn’t have Him fully figured out. They knew He was someone special and approved of His work because they were benefiting from His message and His work.

That’s pretty good feedback from a general audience!

As a business owner, you want to check and see if you’re connecting. You want to make sure your brand’s identity is cohesive and you do that through research. You have to ask if you and your customer have the same view of your brand. Jesus didn’t have to modify His message, but you might have to in order for your brand to be received the way you intend.

Probe your target audience.

The response from the general audience was good but Jesus also wanted feedback from a different audience—a segmented market if you will. He poised the same question to those who worked closely with Him, who do you say I am?

This feedback is the feedback that mattered most. Because you want the ones working with you, the ones who will help push your vision and message—the ones pushing your product forward to get it. If the disciples had answered this incorrectly, had they not understood who He was, there would have been no one to move the vision…the message forward.

Your target audience will be your best evangelists if they believe in your message and product and you deliver every time.

If Jesus asked his audience, you might want to consider asking yours.

Ask so you’ll know if you’re connecting. Ask so you’ll know if your brand is being received as intended and most important, ask so your brand, product or service will last beyond your lifetime because of the evangelists who believe in it and gladly push it forward.

The Marketing Stylist, Lisa N. Alexander takes a moment and shares her thoughts on life and business with Patty Gale of Inspired Web Works. Alexander reveals that as a young girl she wanted to be a member of SWAT. Read the entire interview here.

Representatives of your target audience.

What organization or company isn’t passionate about their message?

You’re so excited that sometimes it’s real easy to forget the audience.

Especially when it comes crafting a message to that audience.

We tend to pitch it from our perspective.

We can go on endlessly on we think our program or our widget is so wonderful and all the change they will produce.

But here’s a gentle reminder, you have to remove yourself from the process.

You must always look at your product or service from the eyes of your target audience.

Always.

No matter how wonderful the product…how revolutionary the service or program, you’ll have to pitch it in such a way that the people you want to buy sees the message immediately and connects with them.

Trust me, this can be easier said than done.

Because day in and day out you’re surrounded by people who think your product or service is wonderful too, so they can’t always be counted on to give unbiased feedback.

But this is feedback your target audience wants you to hear and act on. They want to connect with you, you just need to speak their language. You need to focus on them.

Don’t forget your target audience when you’re crafting your message and building your ad.

It’s easy to get consumed with what you do and even easier to forget the audience’s perspective in this exchange.

Passion is good. It just needs to be channeled toward the end user.

Houston, TX – March 1, 2013 — In conjunction with Women History’s Month and the launch of her new book, This Woman Knows, The Marketing Stylist®, Lisa N. Alexander is celebrating women who’ve made and make a difference by featuring them on on her blog during the month of March.

Alexander says it was important to pay homage to the women who have personally influenced her and women shes admired during this month long celebration. Also included are women who made and continue to make valuable contributions to their communities and the world.

“I’m especially excited about one particular entry,” says Alexander. I had the opportunity to interview Bishop Cheryl Holmes Miller who was a pioneer for women of color in the graphic arts industry in the 1980s and 1990s,” she continued. “I learned so much from listening to her…It’s a moment I’ll never forget,” she said.

Other women featured include Beverly Bond and Malala Yousafzai.

You can subscribe to the blog by following this link.

PrettyWork Graphic Design to benefit start-up companies, entrepreneurs and small nonprofit organizations.

Houston, TX – Feb. 25, 2013 – The woman who was given the task of “making things pretty” has released a new subscription-based graphic design service called PrettyWork Graphic Design. Entrepreneurs, small businesses and nonprofit organizations can subscribe for as little as $17 a month. PrettyWork will deliver designs that are not only pretty but also effective.

The Marketing Stylist Lisa N. Alexander, PrettyWork’s creator is excited about the new venture. “Good graphic design can be pricey and you don’t always get what you hoped for with that five dollar service,” says Alexander. “PrettyWork allows companies with limited marketing dollars to creatively reflect their brand and attract the right audience,” she continued.Alexander’s background in marketing and graphic design will ensure that PrettyWork clients get work that’s creative and gets results and that’s not always the case with some online services.There are four subscription services available with the Cute Package at $17 a month and the Prettiest Package at $77 a month. Subscribers can choose from a variety of services based on the package selected. Services offered include flyer and postcard design to logos and signage.

“Every business owner should have pretty work or work that well represents their brands,” says Alexander.

Additional services are also available such as book cover design and basic Web site builds for an added fee.

Alexander is positioning PrettyWork to be the entry point for startups and smaller organizations to develop consistent, attractive and targeted marketing materials.

For more information visit PrettyWork at www.prettywork.co.

You can send cards to customers, potential clients, colleagues,  vendors, even your employees. Sending a card is an excellent marketing tool and great way to be remembered and stand out. It’s all part of building, growing and strengthening relationships because again, we typically do business with people we know and trust.

I like sending out cards personally, however you could use a service like Send Out Cards to do the work for you. eCards are another option but  receiving a physical card through the mail is much more memorable.

When sending out cards, remember:

• No selling — this is not the time to push a new product or service
• Do include a short personal message
• Use the person’s first name
• Hand write the addresses — solicit the help of others if you need to; you don’t want the card to appear to be part of a bulk mail out

Send cards:

• To colleagues on a recent accomplishment
• To clients on winning a new account or product roll out
• To thank a client for their continued business
• To thank an employee on a job well done
• To thank a colleague for their assistance
• To people who refer you business

Sending out cards is another way to make you and your business standout and differentiate you in the marketplace.

*Remember to include a mailing address on your social media profile or Website so people can send you a physical card!

My friend Deanna has been a blogger for many years and is faithful to blog daily. She has never missed a day of blogging and I applaud her for this. I can’t say the same!

Even though she had nice stats and received the occasional comment, she was completely amazed by  the success of her new blog.

Her new blog centers around adoption and what it means to be an adopted child even when that child is an adult in her 40s.

She’s getting more comments, and more subscribers and readers on her new blog. More than her previous blog after years of daily blogging.

“So you found your tribe?” was my question to her. She emphatically agreed and said that she’s never experienced anything like it.

Something happens when you find your tribe. Tasks that were arduous and processes that were cumbersome somehow become a non-issue when you’re connected to your tribe. You get the feedback you’re looking for and you experience a groundswell of support.  When you finally connect, and you have a group of people who are in support of you or your product or service,  there’s nothing else quite like it.

This connection makes your life and marketing much easier.

So how do you find your tribe? How do you connect with our target audience?

Small business owners I’ve talked to say it’s not easy.

They came to the realization that they couldn’t sell to everybody which shocked many. I tell clients, “you don’t want everybody as a customer.” I promise you don’t.

So how do you find your target audience?

• Demographic study – data that tells you the  age, sex, marital status, income and level of education of your target audience;
• Psychographics – data that details interests, hobbies, activities; the lifestyle patterns of your audience; and
• Product benefits – your product offers unique benefits that appeal to a segment of the market

Deanna found her target audience through her product benefits. She addressed a specific issue and brought together a community of adult adoptees. They support one another and she now has a greater following than her original blog.

There’s something to be said about following your passion and creating something that matters to you.

Once you find your tribe or target audience there’s still the business of constructing a message that resonates.

My advice on finding your tribe or target audience is pretty simple.

1. Follow your passion. My blogger friend had to make peace with exposing this side of her and in doing so found her audience.
2. Keep moving forward. Because she had an existing blog, she had a base with whom she could share this new blog with. A few of those members then became the ones to promote her new blog.
3. Do your due diligence. Find out as much as you can (ethically mind you and without breaking the law) about your target audience so you know how to serve them.

When you and your tribe/target audience connect, it will completely change the game.

Here’s to connecting in 2013.

Today is National Compliment Day and what a great day to celebrate others and build relationships.

A sincere compliment or acknowledgement on a job well done or for service provided does a lot for relationship building. It goes back to that networking principle that says you look for ways to help others first. And believe it or not, but paying a colleague or fellow business owner a well-deserved compliment doesn’t take anything away from you. If anything you set yourself apart as secure and wise.

Awhile back I wrote a post on paper.li and asked if it was worth continuing to use — I still use the service by the way. I received lots of feedback but one answer really struck me deeply. Kenneth Manesse said he uses paper.li to promote others. If you know Kenneth or have worked with him you know he’s about helping others get their businesses exposed. This isn’t just an occasional event but this is something he lives everyday.

So here’s the challenge.

Actively seek out family, friends, colleagues, customers, fellow business owners, coworkers and give them a compliment. A sincere one because people can distinguish between sincerity and false flattery. It’s a relationship builder and again, we tend to do business with people we know and have a relationship with.

If you’re on Twitter use the hashtag #compliment so we can follow the stories.

Networking is something every business owner should and must do. The old saying that people do business with people they know is still true and networking is a great way to meet people.

However, all networking events are not created equal.

I remember leaving a few and saying to myself, “well that was a complete waste of time and gas.” I know Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, in his book Delivering Happiness says we should get to know people for the sake of knowing people. How we can benefit their business and vice versa is secondary. People he met in casual settings eventually worked with him professionally even if it was years later. I know this is the right thing to do but it’s hard to implement when you have sales goals to meet. You want to meet the right people and spend your time wisely.

That’s why I was impressed with a networking event The Houston Business Journal (HBJ) hosted last year. This was power networking.

There comes a time when businesses want to get the attention of those in the media and the first thing we do is write up a press release and blast it out to every news outlet in the city. Some business will use a PR distribution service but most will harass, spam, flood reporter’s inbox with the same release. This has resulted in some companies being blacklisted.

That’s why the networking event by HBJ was so impressive. The HBJ editor and reporters were all there and you could meet with them and ask them what they were looking for. You could make connections, hopefully make a favorable impression and walk away with someone you could build a professional relationship with. Everyone who attended that event knew exactly what would grab the attention of this news outlet.

Here are few networking opportunities you may not have considered:

Classes and workshops – These are great opportunities because not only do you learn something vital to your business or for personal improvement, you meet people like yourself who are also interested in learning. If you’re brave you can introduce yourself to the speaker and begin building a relationship with an expert. You’d be surprised at how welcoming some can be.

Company sponsored events – When I worked a nine-to-five, a few vendors threw customer appreciation parties. From what I’ve read, Zappos throws amazing customer appreciation parties. These parties can connect you to some pretty awesome people in a non-threatening environment. Living in Houston means access to crawfish and I love it when companies host crawfish boils! There’s nothing like meeting someone new over a tray of crawfish, corn and potatoes. You can’t help but bond.

Conferences – If you don’t mind crowds, conferences are definitely a great way to meet new people and build existing relationships. Tory Johnson’s Spark and Hustle Tour will more than likely come to a city near you and you should go! You’ll meet some awesome women and hear great presentations from inspiring women.

If you’re going to network, power network! Position yourself to create mutually beneficial business relationships.

Building Online Relationships

I’m wrapping up a huge project and solicited help from a few people.

Everyone of them said yes even though I didn’t promise them anything and they weren’t getting paid. I tried to pay one of them but they told me to keep my money.

Why?

Because I had a relationship with them.

And get this, I’ve never met any of them in person.

These are all people I’ve established a relationship with online.

I have chatted with several of them on the phone no more than once and the rest I’ve corresponded with solely through social media and email.

And I don’t talk to these people everyday. I’ll respond to something they post on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn and through those short conversations, we’ve developed a bond.

We know each other through our writings in our shared online community.

And because they knew me and were familiar with my work, they agreed to help me.

It’s far better to ask someone you know or at least get an introduction through a mutual friend when you have a request than to call someone cold asking for something. I remember working on a project and was asked to solicit assistance from some pretty high-profile people. They all said no. Why? They didn’t know the person for whom I was calling. There was no established relationship to even consider granting the request.

It’s all about relationships and I’m fortunate to have some very kind, very generous people in my circle.

I’ll always be grateful for that.

You can start building positive and mutually beneficial online relationships by doing the following:

• Don’t just post and run. Respond, share, and comment on something that made you laugh or made you ponder. I promise, people appreciate feedback.
• Be your authentic self. This can be hard since we don’t get to see facial expression and body language when we read your post or feedback. But if you’re engaging the community frequently, people will get to know you and know when your wry sense of humor is at work.
• Share good stuff. Who doesn’t appreciate great content? It doesn’t have to always be educational or business related. When I’m having a rough day, content that makes me laugh till I cry is certainly appreciated and I always thank the person for posting.
• Please and Thank You. Barney the Dinosaur was right. Please and thank you will get you far. Especially in your online communities. When you get new Twitter followers or someone retweets you or someone thanks you for sharing their content on your online paper; be sure to respond.

You never know when you’ll click or connect with someone. Not all interactions will lead to the kind of relationship where you can shoot an email or Facebook message and ask for a favor. But you do have to engage in order to build one where you can.