AB: Outsourcing is a recurring topic on our site. What goes through your mind as you're deciding to keep something in-house or shop it out?

SG: The number one deciding factor about out-sourcing work, is will we maintain the same quality as if we did the work ourselves. If we can not answer unequivocally yes, we don’t. Fortunately, the need for outside vendors is very small and the average minimum length of service we enjoy with our suppliers is five years. Potential vendors are put through an arduous qualification process and they must work as we do, 24×7x365.

AB: What marketing tool worked the best for you in 2007?

SG: Work the room, and network. Even with a staff of 31, I do my best to attend at least 2 public events per week, which for a company our size, is not very common for the CEO to do. I am a retired Division I College Soccer Coach and we always had the mentality and attitude that if we got in front of the student athlete and his parents, they would come to play for us. I apply this same approach to our business. If I get at least 5 minutes with you, chances are very good that you will want to do business with us! As for networking, I am very fortunate to have relationships with people who care as much about the success we receive from the referrals that they offer us, as we do from those that we provide to them.

AB: What would you do if you weren't in business for yourself?

SG: Teach and write. Long before Donald Trump unveiled the “Apprentice” on television, I had my own apprentice program. Each year, on a pro-bono basis, I mentor 4 to 6 individuals who long to be entrepreneurs, or, are lost in their career and need guidance and direction. I recently started writing a column entitled “Ask Scott.” this column appears in one business newspaper. If I were not in business for myself, I would mentor and write full time.

Business Bio

Before starting my own business in 1993, Successful Strategies Company, I worked for many large corporations. While I held many titles, my primary function was to find new and creative ways to boost sales and to turn red ink into black ink.

In 1994, just before the Internet became the Internet that we know today, we created a tool to measure the effectiveness of burgeoning Internet websites. Thus, my second company, powerfeedback.com was launched. We have grown consistently since then and today we are a full-service market research firm offering both quantitative and qualitative services to clients both domestically and internationally.

We recently made a decision to merge both companies together and shortly we will unveil our new corporate identity and website. From here on, we will strictly be known as powerfeedback; a marketing services company specializing in market research and business management consulting.

I just got this email promotion from charming UK clothier Boden:

29 orders to be won today

Here's the body of the email:

The copy: "Every four years, whoever manages the solar system gives us a 29th day in February for free. We always like joining in, so Barry, who manages our warehouse, will give away 29 orders today, also for free."

Clicking on the "Try your luck" takes you to their home page.

Essentially, they're giving refunds on 29 orders placed today, February 29.

What an excellent, simple offer, presented tastefully and clearly. I bet this increases orders and per-order amount.

You may not be a big business like Boden, but you can always come up with a neat offer for your customers.

Addendum: I wondered how likely I was to win, should I order. Some back-of-envelope calculations: Boden's ecommerce partner claims they were doing about $100 million online in 2006. Let's bump that to $120M for 2008. Divide by 400 days (to correct for seasonality/Christmas) and a wild-guess $120 per order, and I expect they average 2500 online orders per day. Assume 400 new orders coming from this email promotion alone. I chose 400 in part because it brings us to 2900 orders today, giving me (and you) a clean 1% chance to get your money back. Too low for me.

But I'll keep opening their emails.

AB: One of the recurring topics we've seen on this site is outsourcing. What tasks should the entrepreneur keep in-house, and what should get outsourced. Things like IT, SEO, accounting. What "outsourcing rules of thumb" have you developed as MSLK has grown?

SLK: MSLK realized early on that the number one thing we couldn't outsource was the responsibilities of design. So many agencies outsource the creative aspects of a job — and it shows! Clients are coming to us for our concepts, style, and vision, and you can't hire someone to replicate that. Instead, we outsource nearly all of our business support. We have a business consultant, a financial planner, bookkeeper, accountant, IT consultant, photographers, printers, and programmers who work with us either on a regular basis or are on-call should the need arise.

AB: What marketing tactic worked the best for you in 2007?

SLK: We use a variety of touch points for marketing. The one we use most often, we call the 1-2 punch, a print promotion, followed up with an emailer. A printed promotion is something tangible that recipients can hold onto. We work hard to create useful and informative pieces so that recipients can't resist keeping it out on their desk. Then the email arrives, they've been thinking of you and lo and behold, now here's a link in their inbox to visit your site. It's very effective.

However, the most engaging tactic we used in 2007 was launching our blog, "Reactions." Because so much of what we're selling is our relationship with clients, our sales cycle is a slow courting process. Our blog allows us to speak to potential and existing clients in a new dialog that we could never have on our corporate site. Here you can find what inspires us, our comments on how design impacts business, our commitment to the environment as well as an inside peek into life at our studio in Long Island City, Queens. The response to the blog has been overwhelming. One client even told me that they got more out of reading our blog than they ever learned reading other companies' marketing rhetoric.

AB: What would you do if you weren't in business for yourself?

SLK: The learning curve from being an employee to running a company is steep, but with 10 years of it under my belt, I can't imagine doing anything else. I see the world differently now and to do anything else would feel like I was moving backwards.

Business Bio
My husband/business partner, Marc and I used to work at competing graphic design firms. We decided to stop competing against each other and work together. We struggled forever to come up with a name for our combined vision on design, one night Marc realized that we shared two letters in our initials. I'm the SLK, and he's the MSL. We meet in the middle to form MSLK. There's a strong overlap and shared values on what makes great design, but we also have different expertise and interests. We developed a logo which emphasizes this.

We spent the first 5 years of our business learning the ropes on the evenings and weekends. This allowed us to continue to work on top level projects at our day jobs and grow further in our design skills, while also cutting our teeth on the challenges every new business faces such as how to find work, how to charge for work, etc. The lengthy work days/weeks were grueling at times, but I feel we are stronger as a result.

When we finally left our jobs and made the leap to a full-time operation, our company instantly flourished from the extra time and energy we could finally put towards taking things to the next level. It felt as if we had laid a good, strong structure for the company and with our full attention we were able to hit the ground running.

AB: Tell me a little bit about how you got to where you are now.

MM: I caught the entrepreneurial bug at an early age. I’ve always had a job or side business of some sort, from paper routes to child modeling in fashion shows at the local mall. I absorbed every aspect of every little job I’ve ever had, and always thought of ways to make everything better. My first real exposure to working in fashion came at 16 when I started working at Contempo Casuals, which in the 80’s was the coolest place to work. I was promoted to visual merchandiser and window dresser, and was completely hooked from there.

I went on to Wayne State University on a coveted design scholarship, where I received a degree in fashion design. From there I was offered a position at Linda Dresner in New York as merchandise manager. Linda carried all the top designers of the time: Claude Montana, Karl Lagerfeld, Jil Sander, Comme des Garçons, Yohji Yamamoto, Dries Van Noten, etc. Working for the Madison Avenue world was such an eye-opener. I was exposed to and worked with the most amazing clothes in the world. The designs and workmanship was so fascinating and beautiful. I worked for Linda for six years and also worked for Calvin Klein. I also had a brief stint as a textile designer. But all the while, I wanted to do my own thing, have my own business. Which is how I came to be where I am today, via a few detours.

After Madison Avenue I went to SVA to study film, then left to work on a feature film. I was able to apply my design skills liberally in film and loved really getting into the characters and building their wardrobes. Working on features was another world and so invigorating, but I found it wasn’t enough for me at the time, so it’s been almost 7 years since I last worked on a film. Film is great, but it was hard to turn down all of the work coming my way while I was committed to one project.

In between film projects, I began styling. I built a portfolio, got an agent and the rest is history.

I was very fortunate to have been in the best, right places at the right time. And I've had amazing mentors. I’m also grateful for having had the advantage of a great design education. I wouldn’t have gotten very far without it. There’s a real amount of knowledge, skill and experience needed to be a stylist. I believe it’s the difference between making it or not, or being so-so and really good. Tapping into and creating trends is a huge part of the job, and that just wouldn’t be possible without that knowledge.

AB: As an entrepreneur you wear a lot of hats. What's the one thing you wish you could outsource but can't… and why?

MM: There are so many details that you can't delegate when you want a certain standard upheld. I personally handle the bulk of the work, and oversee every detail of what is delegated to assistants, double checking everything. I take my projects very seriously. I do push myself to try to take on more bookings, but I can only take on so many jobs and still maintain the quality of work. Consequently, I have to turn down a lot of work. But in the end it’s worth it to me to keep standards high.

But if I could outsource one thing, it would have to be the administrative aspect of my business. Unfortunately, there are aspects of that only I can understand. Why? It’s a bit like the left hand not knowing what the right is doing when it comes to my staff. I bring it all together, so the mountains of paperwork will only make sense to me, unfortunately.

AB: What marketing tactic worked the best for you in 2007?

MM: A regular mailing, similar to comp cards, once or twice a year never fails to expose me to, or put me in the way of someone new. It’s key however to stay fresh and exciting with mailings. But my best marketing tool has always been word of mouth and referral. This industry is like a small town. When someone with a great reputation or clout recommends you, new clients follow. Also, attending events in this and other industries in the arts helps to facilitate new relationships.

AB: What would you do if you weren't in business for yourself?

MM: I can’t imagine not being in business for myself. I’ve always imagined myself here and here I am to stay. I suppose if you’d asked if I weren’t in the fashion industry, what would I do instead? I would have to say, I would be a gardener or chef, but still: in business for myself, doing my best to create beautiful, delicious things.

One of the slowest parts of doing business is the obligatory forms one must fill out once an agreement is reached. You and your counter part at the company you are entering a contractual relationship with need to have legal documents signed, to consummate an agreement. Often times it’s not just two person’s signatures that are needed, but the signatures of several people at 2 or more companies. Chasing down busy executives can be at best difficult.

With electronic signatures, the work and hassle of signing documents is digital and holds up in court as being legally binding. Many of you might feel more comfortable seeing a hand written signature image on a document, however, electronic signatures, are safe and legal and should be considered for speed and efficiency in your business.

I just tested EchoSign's electronic signature and document management service and it's simple, fast, efficient and feature rich. Here's how it works.

I setup an account and in a few minutes I was presented with an online console - very well designed. Main options on the console include:

* Sending a document to be signed

* Creating a form and sending it to be signed

* Approve a document that's already been sent for your signature

When sending a document to someone for signature, you can have the option to enable a digital signature or require the recipient to fax you a hand written signature. The entire process is handled by EchoSign.

When the recipient receives your document for signature the process is easy for them. They receive an email from EchoSign giving them a link to a secure web site. At the web site, the recipient can view the document and is then prompted to type in their name and initials. This is their digital signature. If they (or you) prefer a hand written signature the signer can print the document, sign it and fax to EchoSign.

EchoSign facilitates all parties signing the document (digitally or hand written), sends all parties a copy of all signed documents and manages all your electronically signed documents for you.

Digital signatures are not only for contracts between companies but are also ideal for transactions between professionals or from businesses to individuals. Imagine the busy lawyer who needs to get approval on a variety of documents, from clients and others, in her course of business. Digital signatures enable a much faster approval process and easier management of what could mushroom into binders and binders of hand signed documents.

For virtual companies, with employees and management spread across the United States, or around the world, digital signatures can save a lot of time and save money in courier fees.

Faxing hand signed signatures back and forth has worked for years, but to grow your business you need every bit of smart technology you can use to better serve your customers and move faster and more efficiently than your competition.

Over the past few weeks, I've been really chewing on the following six rules I created that I believe will really help you boost your business. There's a lot more technology rules and guidelines you need to keep in mind, but these six rules are ones that are beyond the more traditional rules such as having a web site, making sure your technology is secure and etc.

* Spend money on your technology as an investment - not as a cost
* Email is NOT CRM
* Web 2.0 is no joke
* Mobile technology empowers small businesses
* Smart small businesses outsource their tech needs. Stupid ones do it all.
* Don’t technologize a bad business process

Spend money on technology as an investment - not as a cost

You spend money on insurance - right? You have a lawyer (most likely) and an accountant (for sure) - right? However, when it comes to spending money on technology, many of you ONLY spend money if you have to. You don't spend money on technology that you think you don't need. This is a mistake.

If you are building a business that's built to last you must think of your technology spending as an investment in how technology can help your business GROW. You must spend money on technology that will help you now and in the future. The right investments in technology today will help you save money, save time, do more with lesson and overall grow your business tomorrow.

Don't think of where your business is now, but think of where your business will be in 5 years and invest in technology accordingly.

Email is NOT CRM

Many of you, like I do, use Microsoft Outlook as the core foundation of your business. You use it to manage your email, tasks, notes and calendar and that's good. But if you want to increase sales to your current customers and really know everything you can about each customer, based on each interaction they have with you - you must use a true CRM product or service.

When a customer buys from you, chats with your sales rep and maybe returns a product, for whatever reason, a TRUE CRM product/service can help you mine this data and help you use this raw data as POWERFUL information to know more about your customer.

Microsoft Outlook by itself is simply a great tool for managing email, contacts, tasks and notes. To make it more effective as a true CRM tool, use Microsoft’s Business Contact Manager, which helps you manage contacts better, add sales information to each contact, conduct email marketing campaigns and more.

Some CRM tools you might want to consider are: Entellium, Infusion CRM, SalesLogix, NetBooks, ACT!, GoldMine, Microsoft CRM and NetSuite.

A full CRM solution might not be for every small business, especially those just starting out. It really depends on the stage of growth your business is in and how much you need to service your customers. If you are a small retailer, from day ONE you really need a CRM solution. Why? Because in six months you’ll want to be able to know who bought what and what did they buy. With this type of information, your CRM tool can help you predict what other products they might be interested in buying, recommend other products to them (like Amazon.com does) and more.

Web 2.0 is no joke

You've heard all about FaceBook, MySpace, LinkedIn and a few dozen other social media tools that help you connect with others. Many web sites also enable you to comment, upload your own videos and share your own insight with others. This is what web 2.0 is about. It's more than you giving content or a sales pitch to someone - a one way conversation. It's about having a conversation with customers and letting customers have a conversation with each other - all about you and your product or service.

You need to do this with your own online communications. You must have a great web site, with awesome navigation and content. You must have an email newsletter to reach people right in their email inboxes. You really should have a blog to foster more conversation and boost your web sites rankings in search engines.

The next step is to ensure your web site enables visitors to communicate & connect with you and each other as well via "web 2.0″ technologies.

Mobile Technology

If you and your staff are sitting at desks all day long I guess you don't need mobile technology.

However, if you and your staff are traveling around (as I suspect you do) then you need to implement mobile technology solutions. This means that you can access your office wherever you are - email, faxes, files - you can access it all.

There’s no reason to tell a customer that they have to wait until you get back to your office. There’s no excuse for telling a partner that you haven’t received a fax someone sent you or missed a voice mail because you were not in the office. Take your office with you.

Outsource your technology

There is NO need at all for you to manage and implement technology on your own. Sure, you are an expert in what you sell (be you a florist, computer vendor, lawyer, graphic artists or media consultant). But you are not an expert in network security, data backup or mobile technology.

The only way you are going to maximize your use of technology is to outsource your use and implementation of it it in your business.

Technology is not all that you need to outsource.

If you find that you are scanning business cards, answering phones and faxing proposals you need to hire someone else to do these tasks for your so you can concentrate on your business. If you are a one person business or a 50 person business - you need to manage your company and concentrate on its growth. Hire someone else, like a smart virtual or in-person assistant to help you.

Don’t technologize a bad business process

I'm sure you run a very good business and do your best to manage its various processes, however if there are parts of your business that are not going so well and you think technology is the answer, you're wrong.

I was recently in Puerto Rico at the great Ritz Carlton Hotel. The entire experience in Puerto Rico and at the hotel was simply splendid. What most impressed me was the customer service the hotel provided. It so happens that customer service is a HUGE part of the hotel's culture and ingrained into each employee. However, they use technology, in a big way, to profile each guest and build a database of their likes and "don't likes". What if the Ritz Carlton had employees that were rude, inconsiderate and nasty? Ritz Carlton would only be "technologizing a bad business process".

They first hire employees who love service then they use technology to manage and build up this customer service experience.

AB: How are you going to compete against bigger companies?

JB: We feel that we are very competitive with the larger companies because we're a local company with boots on the ground and our content is by New Yorkers, for New Yorkers. Being a small company allows us to focus on our niche of remodeling and renovations in the Tri-State area, we can be a lot more hands-on for the benefit of both the visitors looking for information and the professionals who are looking for more exposure. More importantly, our site is free and easy to search. The consumers do not have to jump around to different sites to find what they are looking for.

AB: What are the best and worst things about doing a web startup in NYC?

JB: The best thing about starting up an internet company in New York would have to be the sheer quantity of talented and creative people we have to draw on. This combined with the fact that there is a huge pool of incredible and eclectic home improvement providers here, keeps the site's listings diverse and interesting, while still useful and relevant to the user. The worst thing would probably be how "noisy" New York can be in terms of getting the word on what your doing out to the public. We've got ads bombarding us from every building-side, subway and bus stop, and even the roofs of taxicabs, not to mention the 8 or 9 daily newspapers and myriad of local websites. While it may be difficult and expensive to make a big splash, New Yorkers are savvy; if you're providing a valuable service and have a fresh point of view, they'll find you eventually.

AB: Hm, about that "sheer quantity of talented and creative people". How much does it help to have vendors nearby, in an urban environment?

JB: Great question, we estimate that in the New York Area, there are over 7000 companies, people and entities that are involved in some way with residential home improvement. Within this group, the specialization and diversity is simply staggering. We have members in downtown Manhattan that strictly do painting and murals with glazed tiles for bathrooms and kitchens, we have a member that takes reclaimed wood from old farms and buildings and makes custom furniture, there are architects that specialize in additions for the roofs of brownstones and window tinting companies that can lower your AC bill if you live in a high rise with an apartment baking in the summer sunlight's heat. Because NYC is so densely populated, there are many air-quality control firms and a huge community of temporary wall companies. There are specialty moving companies that use vans to move people with a relatively small amount of stuff from one studio apartment to another. And we can't leave out the home entertainment center pro's, who will take the stuff you bought at Best Buy and make it all actually function together, plus hang your flat screen TV and mount your surround-sound speakers.

AB: How do you make it easy for contractors to get their customers reviewing them on your site?

JB: We've come to see that not only do customers find contractors on our site; they also search for the contractors that have been recommended to them to "double-check" before they hire. When one of our members is searched for, very often, their cityhammer.com profile comes up high in the results. This makes their listing on our site almost like a business card and so it behooves the contractor to encourage their customers to rate and review them here. People can review a pro very easily, there's a form to fill out and then a follow-up email which helps us make sure the review is legitimate and honest. The web has the effect of being an equalizer, in that even a small-time contractor without a massive ad budget can get the exposure they want by doing great work and having happy clients who endorse them online. We like to think that we can play a part in getting those who strive for customer satisfaction the notice and accolades that will help them grow their business.

AB: What marketing tactic worked the best for the CityHammer launch in 2007?

JB: We would say that keeping the content on the site fresh and relevant has been the most important marketing tactic. They say that by 2010, 70% of all purchases of items or services will start with a search on the web. cityhammer.com consistently comes up for internet searches related to home improvement thus driving high quality traffic to our listed contractors and designers. We've also built the site in such a way that our pro's are our best marketing tool. Because they are listed in the order of how many positive reviews they have, they have a big incentive to tell their satisfied customers to visit cityhammer.com and leave them a review. This has been a great way to generate word-of-mouth interest throughout New York.

AB: What would you do if you weren't in business for yourself?

JB: This is a tough question, because my partner Ryan and I don't feel as though we work 100% for ourselves. The way we run cityhammer.com is that we feel as though we "work" for the remodeling professionals that have listed on the site. Every single one of the 500 plus companies listed on cityhammer.com has put their profile up themselves. Our goal is to work to get these listings the attention and business they are looking for, and we give them a one-of-a-kind forum to showcase their work and reputation.

AB: What marketing tool worked the best for you in 2007?

RY: For several years, the majority of our new business has been generated through the Internet. We’ve had a website for nine years. Initially, we directed people to the site if they wanted further information, but we did not detect any increase in business because of our web presence. Back then I started hearing about SEO or search engine optimization. I was fortunate to find a very knowledgeable guy who optimized our site for $700. Our site started to generate new business immediately. The best $700 we have spent! Today, his services would probably cost $15,000. Unfortunately, he left soon after to relocate to Arizona. I carefully examined what he had done to the site and I carried on his SEO work – tweaking it to conform more to the language and demands of our business sector and target demographics. I am spending a lot of time updating our site and testing key words to see which ones will drive traffic. It is a very interesting game - examining successful sites for clues and trying to stay current with the search engine algorithms. Our payoff is first page rankings for most of our keywords, but more importantly, a 75% increase in business.

AB: You do your own SEO? That is a rather specialized area… have you considered outsourcing it?

RY: For many business owners, SEO seems akin to brain surgery. They end up contracting a company to optimize their site and may pay over $20,000 for the initial optimization and the necessary tweaking. SEO does not approach brain surgery in complexity. Many of the rules and guidelines can be found on the Google site and can be learned through trial and error. Since I am also the web master of our site, it is a relatively simple task for me to tweak the optimization. What is hugely galling is to see a site ranked higher than ours for certain key words only to discover by examining the code that they have expended no energy on optimization – blind luck!

AB: What part of entrepreneurship have you worked hardest at?

RY: Few businesses evolve as quickly as video production and postproduction. New hardware and software are introduced daily, the terminology evolves and old markets wither as new ones take their place. To keep up, it is necessary to read articles on technology, communications, fashion, politics, business trends, sports, the arts, etc. in mainstream publications, on the Internet and in trade publications. Additionally, viewing movies, television shows and commercials, listening to new music and noting the latest fashions, etc., help to maintain a fresh perspective. No business, especially mine can be run on autopilot. Total involvement and waking up each day with renewed enthusiasm is essential. My greatest challenge is to stay conversant as the earth shakes. It’s be fresh or arrivderci!

AB: What would you do if you weren't in business for yourself?

RY: I would be envious of those who were. There are a lot of headaches owning a business and you quickly learn that you are working for a very demanding and critical boss. But I would not have it any other way. If you are like me, and you realize early on that you would have a hard time conforming to conventional career paths, entrepreneurship becomes an exciting and challenging alternative. But with freedom, there is the realization that, even though I have a terrific staff, the success of the business rests entirely on my shoulders. However, the people we meet, the challenging projects we take on, and the constant learning about life and ourselves make it all worthwhile.

Business Bio

To the urban dweller, growing up in Central California amidst vineyards, almond and peach trees can seem like an idyllic lifestyle. For me, the lack of stimulation was maddening. Nature appeared to be overrated. I was addicted to news magazines, documentaries and all the evening new programs. Books also offered an escape. The challenge was to find a way to connect with the “real world”.

After graduating from the University of California at Berkeley, moving to Manhattan seemed logical. The choice was between a comfortable life and an interesting one. Bouncing from social work to bond underwriting and back again deepened my existential angst. And then a co-worker mentioned a workshop to encourage minority participation in media. I became the only non-Latin and non African-American in a filmmaking course – a career path that had not entered my mind at Berkeley. A whole new world began to open up.

Up to that point, I had displayed little technical acumen. But I quickly learned how to record audio for documentaries. Within five years I found myself working with the Maysles Brothers, Frontline, Bill Moyers in Japan and traveling around the world for PBS, the BBC and Grenada Television among many. Feature films followed with work on high budget commercials. Working with such luminaries as Albert Maysles, Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese, Errol Morris and Martin Bell was immensely inspirational. All the while a dream began to take shape of forming a production company and of directing.

Hello World Communications was the realization of a dream to have a complete production company offering conception to realization capabilities. “Share The Magic” was our first production. The one-hour documentary about a school for magicians drew the comment from CBC producer Patricia Smith-Strom, “I was struck by the remarkable way you captured the characters of the young students, showing magic’s positive effect.”

Our client list now includes: Disney, Chase Bank, Harlequin Press, Savant, Crispin, Porter & Bogusky, Women’s World Banking, HBO, Ogilvy, BBDO, McCann Erickson, Foley & Lardner, Rubin Museum of Art, Forbes.com, GMC, Chrysler and Cadillac. Our considerable experience producing Internet content includes 12 videos for the CBS Survivor finale webcast, 4 videos for the Super Bowl and we recently completed seven shows for the cbs.sportsline.com show Match Points with April Wilkner that aired during the U.S. Open. We were responsible for the show titles; show concepts, research, motion graphics, postproduction, writing, ad copy and even drawing up contracts.

My staff of over-achieving, muti-taskers emphasizes a cheerful, can-do attitude and the enthusiasm to go the extra mile for our customers. People love saying the name of our company and one customer even sings a Hello World ditty.

It’s a long way from staring at an empty California sky and looking forward to raiding the magazine rack at the shopping mall.

If you've got a website or blog, you can embed the below widget into your site. Click "Share" in the bottom right to get the code.

This was built with Sprout, a nifty widget development tool. If you do install it, let me know how it went.

Marc Levitt, cofounder of the eponymous MLSK design studio in Queens, has a blog where you see this:

2,663 Urban Tumbleweeds — An MSLK Art Installation

They have strung hundreds of plastic bags throughout a city park to make the point of how much plastic we use. Check out the pictures (example on the right).

It’s creative, which reinforces their firm’s positioning, and the post is pretty readable. The green message helps them.
But if you’re like most people who scan text on the web, you might not notice that they haven’t… actually… done it yet. It’s just a concept, a contest entry. But no harm, no foul. Their audience got the message. Good for them for making immediate hay out of an idea.

Our old pal E.B. Moss recently was at a green marketing seminar not too long ago. There, a rep from one verrry ecologically conscious company apologized in front of potential customers for not having a total zero carbon footprint – even though they recycle everything, etc. This struck E.B. as unnecessary. I’ll go farther: saying sorry is counterproductive. The whole green movement is driven in largely by guilt, and calling too much attention to the hair shirt that you’re wearing is a distraction. At the least, don’t frame your actions negatively.

Lastly, our friends at the Women Presidents' Organization (WPO) note that one of their members got some national PR for their eco-themed resort. The important element here is that the member actually reached out to the WPO to tell them about this PR coup, and the organization distributed the story on their blog (in part because the green message is a powerful one now). It’s basic PR practice, but sometimes that gets overlooked. Always have a list of “media outlets” which includes anyone with a blog.