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Just Be Nice: A Case Study of Karma Marketing in Action
<p><i><b>This is a guest post from Laura Biskupic, Marketing Director of Winch Advisory Services, LLC in Appleton, Wisconsin. </b> In November, I wrote a blog called <a href="http://kristenluke.wordpress.com/2009/11/08/karma-marketing/"> <span style="color: #b5121b;">Karma Marketing</span></a> which discussed the concept that doing good deeds will result in positive outcomes for a firm’s marketing efforts. Laura, who is a reader of my blog, wrote to me with her own case study of how her firm applies a similar concept. In this post, Laura shares how her firm has integrated their philosophy of “Just Be Nice,” into their marketing plan.</i>
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<p>Sometimes, the most effective marketing tools can be gleaned from maternal advice. “Just be nice,” might be a universal mom phrase to stop the squabbling, but it’s also an effective attitude for any small business.
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<p>At our firm this past year, we planned several marketing activities that centered on the “just be nice” theme. Although many of the activities were met with initial skepticism by the staff, all of them ended up being extremely positive experiences.
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<p>As a company, we participated in a walk for our local chapter of the National Association for Mental Illness (NAMI). Initially, only a few employees agreed to join me and when the day dawned cold and drizzly, I was pretty sure I’d be marching solo. But by the time the walk took off, a dozen co-workers and spouses joined me and we ended up having a great time, bonding as a team and demonstrating to our clients, who are board members of the charity, that we were willing to give up a Saturday morning to support the cause. Additionally, we learned about an impressive local program and we received an added bonus when a picture of our staff participating in the walk appeared in the local newspaper. I wrote about the experience in our monthly newsletter, making another 450 clients aware that we are not a nine-to-five, Monday-through-Friday bunch.
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<p>Our participation in a local NFL player’s charity, which included a winning bid on luxury box seats with the player’s family, resulted in a coveted spot at Lambeau Field for the must-see Packers-Vikings game and an extremely fun evening for staff members and clients. Again, a photograph of us at the event made it into the local paper and I also wrote about this experience in the monthly client newsletter.
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<p>In addition to our involvement with the walk and the charity event, we adopted a family at Christmas. This year we are continuing our “just be nice” philosophy and are planning an event to support a cancer-related cause.
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<p>I recommend firms find a cause they believe in and support it both financially and publicly. A genuine commitment to a cause, coupled with a “just be nice” attitude, will reap all sorts of rewards.
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<i>Laura Biskupic is the Marketing Director of Winch Advisory Services, LLC in Appleton, Wisconsin. For more information about the firm, visit <a href="http://www.winchfinancial.com/"> <span style="color: #b5121b;">www.winchfinancial.com</span></a>.
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<i>Have a case study you would like to share about your own firm’s marketing successes? Email me at <a href="mailto:kluke@wmmktg.com"> <span style="color: #b5121b;">kluke@wmmktg.com</span></a> to submit a guest blog.</i>
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Author: Kristen Luke
Posted: Monday, February 08, 2010 | 5:31:32 AM
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