wi n ter 2014
S p on s or e d by E n te r p r is e B a n k & T rust
Enterprise University — What IS it, and why should YOU care?
pg.
6
SPOTLIGHT:
Jasha McQueen
pg.
8
GETTING RESULTS
FROM YOUR
Strategic Plan
pg.
4
10
pg.
everything you need
to know about Websites
[ Letter from the Executive Director ] We look forward to continuing to connect our members, collaborate with community organizations and corporations in order to cultivate economic prosperity for all in the St. Louis Metropolitan Region. Dear Member /Readers,
w in ter 2 0 1 4
4
Enterprise Bank & Trust: Enterprise University – What is it, and why should you care?
6
Spotlight: Jasha McQueen
7
5th Annual Hispanic Speaker Series
8
Getting Results from your Strategic Plan
10
Everything You Need to Know about Mobile Websites
12
LAMP: Language Access Multicultural People
14
Public Speaking: A Necessary Skill to Develop to Set You Apart
15
HCC Calendar of Events 2014
I hope you had as great of a start to 2014 as we had here at the Hispanic Chamber. The New Year brought a couple of changes to the Hispanic Chamber. We elected a new Board of Directors and welcomed a new Office Manager. We embraced the year by successfully carrying out our annual Job & Business fair in February. This event is very important to us as it allows us to connect with businesses and job seekers in an effort to diversify and support the job sector. We also were fortunate enough to have Mayor Julián Castro of San Antonio, Texas as our keynote speaker for our annual Hispanic Speakers Series in January. This event had a great turnout and further solidified the idea of how our community can collaborate to grow the St. Louis Region. In April, the Hispanic Chamber will have its annual Adelante Awards. This year’s theme is “Connect, Collaborate, and Cultivate” the theme reflects our view of the future. We have been fortunate enough to experience great growth in the past years and realize that this growth is only made possible due to the support from our membership. We look forward to continuing to connect our members, collaborate with community organizations and corporations in order Thank you,
2
Karlos Ramirez Executive Director
to cultivate economic prosperity for all in the St. Louis Metropolitan Region. The Adelante Awards are always a lot of fun and a great way to celebrate individuals, businesses and organizations that have proven to be leaders and have made a worthwhile contribution to the metro area. We look forward to seeing our members at this event. Also, be on the lookout for information on how you can nominate someone for an Adelante Award. In addition to our special events, we also have our monthly Educational Forum Lunch and Learn series as well as our Business after Hours events. All of the information for these events is listed on our website – www.hccstl.com. I encourage you to participate in these, as they are a great way to take advantage of your Hispanic Chamber membership, hone your skills and connect with business leaders in the community. The momentum we have achieved this year has not taken place by pure luck, but as a result of our members and corporate sponsors’ involvement by joining our efforts to better serve our community. That is why we continue to strive to bring value to all of our members every day. We will continue to uphold the value of excellence that our members deserve from us and we at the Hispanic Chamber are excited to “Connect, Collaborate, and Cultivate” in 2014 with you.
Welcome New Members! By joining, the following individuals and companies have decided to make an investment in the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and our community at large. We encourage you to find out more about them and, whenever possible, to use their services. If you would like more information about any of these individuals or organizations, please contact us at: 314.664.4432 Appcropolis Diario Digital Francisco Linan Hacking Law Practice, LLC Ke Buena Radio Station La Tejana Tienda Y Taqueria Lisette Ortega-Vidal LUME Institute Nestle Purina Preferred Family Healthcare United Health Care Zone Services Group
3
Enterprise University —what IS it, and why should YOU care?? Business owners tell us they are often too busy working in their business, to stop and work on their business.
T
hat’s why when they hear about the idea of Enterprise University, they love it that you can get high impact, universitycaliber courses that offer real value on subjects vital to your business and personal success, in single-session workshops led by seasoned, successful experts.
the success of these businesses, the more likely it is that we will secure the lifetime relationships on which our business model has been built.
And you can do that for free. And you do not have to be a client of the bank.
Join the more than 11,000 business leaders who have attended our classes. You’ll learn new ways to attract more business, increase profits, leverage social media, deal with human resource issues, develop strategic leadership, even build your investment portfolio.
So why would a bank have a university? Enterprise Bank & Trust has long recognized the value of building the knowledge and skill base of the business community. Stronger companies make for better opportunities for all. And, of course, the more Enterprise can contribute to
You are invited to experience Enterprise University for yourself. We really think you’ll enjoy meeting the exceptional people who teach these interactive courses as well as other business leaders with interests and challenges similar to yours.
4
winter 2014 HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
SPRING 2014
Enterprise University Schedule at a Glance e University Schedule at a Glance MARCH 2014 SPRING
1 mile east of I-270 on Olive
Craig Rd.
Olive Blvd.
1 mile east of I-270 on Olive
Olive Blvd.
Visit www.enterprisebank.com/eu ww.enterprisebank.com/eu to enroll online For questions, call Kay Erb at 800-396-8141, ext. 13203 oll online
ons, call Kay Erb at 800-396-8141, ext. 13203
Visit www.enterprisebank.com/eu to enroll online
For questions, call Kay Erb at 800-396-8141, ext. 13203
Enterprise Bank & Trust 11401 Olive Boulevard Creve Coeur, MO 63141 Schulte Rd.
Olive Blvd.
Schulte Rd.
Creve Coeur, MO 63141 11401 Olive Boulevard Creve Coeur, MO 63141 All courses will be conducted at:
Craig Rd.
311 429 327 442 439 319 322 444 204
N. New Ballas Rd.
AM AM AM AM AM M AM AM 0 PM
N. New Ballas Rd.
500 602 217 405 219 218 317 301 441 417
Schulte Rd.
AM AM AM AM AM AM AM AM AM AM
Enterprise University Schedule at a Glance
Craig Rd.
419 205 414 209 431 400 212
N. New Ballas Rd.
AM AM AM AM AM AM AM
12th 8:00 – 11:00 AM 419 Fight or Flight – Or is There a Better Solution? Working Through Conflict 13th 8:00 – 11:00 AM 205 Public Relations 101: The Basics of “Earned Advertising” Fight or Flight – Or is There a Better Solution? Working Through Conflict 19th 8:00 – 10:30 AM 414 Value Creation Through an Advisory Board Public Relations 101: The Basics of “Earned Advertising” 20th 8:00 – 11:00 AM 209 DIY Marketing – Intermediate: Business Promotion Through Social Media Marketing Value Creation Through an Advisory Board MARCH 21st 8:00 – 11:00 AM 431 Defining Your Leadership Signature DIY Marketing – Intermediate: Business Promotion Through Social Media Marketing 12th 419 or Flight – Or is There a Better Solution? Working Through Conflict 25th 8:00 8:00––11:00 11:00AM AM 400 Fight Picking Winners Defining Your Leadership Signature 13th 205 101: The Basics “Earned aAdvertising” 26th 8:00 8:00––11:00 11:00AM AM 212 Public SearchRelations Engine Optimization 101:ofCreating Website that Drives Business Picking Winners 19th 8:00 – 10:30 AM 414 Value Creation Through an Advisory Board Search Engine Optimization 101: Creating a Website that Drives Business 20th 8:00 – 11:00 AM 209 DIY Marketing – Intermediate: Business Promotion Through Social Media Marketing APRIL 21st 8:00 – 11:00 AM 431 ning Your Leadership Signature 1st 8:00 – 10:30 AM 500 Defi Personal Fiscal Fitness: The Critical Components of a Financial Plan 25th 8:00 – 11:00 AM 400 Picking Winners 2nd 8:00 – 10:30 AM 602 The Cloud: What is It and Why Should You Care? Personal Fiscal Fitness: The Critical Components of a Financial Plan 26th 212 Engine Optimization Creating a Website that Drives Business 3rd 8:00 8:00––11:00 11:00AM AM 217 Search DIY Marketing – Advanced: 101: Business Promotion Through Content Marketing The Cloud: What is It and Why Should You Care? 4th 8:00 – 11:00 AM 405 Building a Powerful Business Strategy DIY APRIL Marketing – Advanced: Business Promotion Through Content Marketing 9th 8:00 – 11:00 AM 219 Adapting Your Marketing Efforts to Today’s Savvy Home Buyer <NEW Building a Powerful Business Strategy 1st 8:00 500 Fiscal Fitness:Service The Critical of a Channel Financial Plan 10th 8:00––10:30 11:00AM AM 218 Personal Converting Customer into aComponents Secondary Sales Adapting Your Marketing Efforts to Today’s Savvy Home Buyer <NEW 2nd 602 Cloud: Your WhatBusiness is It and From Why Should 16th 8:00 8:00––10:30 11:00AM AM 317 The Protecting Fraud You Care? Converting Customer Service into a Secondary Sales Channel 3rd 8:00 217 Marketing – Advanced: Business Promotion Through Content Marketing 17th 8:00––11:00 11:00AM AM 301 DIY What Banks Look For Protecting Your Business From Fraud 4th 8:00 405 a PowerfulHandbook Business Strategy 22nd 8:00––11:00 11:00AM AM 441 Building Is Your Employee Up-to-Date and Effective? <NEW What Banks Look For 9th 8:00 219 Your Marketing 24th 8:00––11:00 10:30AM AM 417 Adapting Developing the StrategicEfforts Leaderto Today’s Savvy Home Buyer <NEW Is Your Employee Handbook Up-to-Date and Effective? <NEW 10th 8:00 – 11:00 AM 218 Converting Customer Service into a Secondary Sales Channel Developing the Strategic Leader 16th 8:00 – 11:00 AM 317 Protecting Your Business From Fraud MAY 17th 8:00 – 11:00 AM 301 What Banks Lookand ForBuilding Business Value 1st 8:00 – 10:30 AM 311 Understanding 22nd 441 Your Employee Up-to-Date and Effective? <NEW 2nd 8:00 8:00––11:00 11:00AM AM 429 IsNegotiating withHandbook the Savvy Buyer Understanding and Building Business Value 24th 8:00 – 10:30 AM 417 Developing the Strategic Leader 6th 8:00 – 10:30 AM 327 The Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid When Exiting Your Business <NEW Negotiating with the Savvy Buyer 7th 8:00 – 11:00 AM 442 New Age Social Media Pitfalls for Employers <NEW The MAY Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid When Exiting Your Business <NEW 8th 8:00 – 11:00 AM 439 Practical Tools for Taking Charge of Change New Age Social Media Pitfalls for Employers <NEW 1st 8:00 AM 311 and Building Business Value Option 13th 8:00––10:30 9:30 AM 319 Understanding ESOPs: The Overlooked Business Transition Practical Tools for Taking Charge of Change 2nd 429 the Savvy Buyer 14th 8:00 8:00––11:00 10:00AM AM 322 Negotiating Health Carewith Reform is Here, Ready or Not! ESOPs: The Overlooked Business Transition Option 6th 8:00 327 Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid WhenImprovement Exiting Your Business 15th 8:00––10:30 10:00AM AM 444 The Leading Change Through Process <NEW <NEW Health Care Reform is Here, Ready or Not! 7th 8:00 11:00 AM PM 442 Age Social Pitfalls for Employers <NEWOrganization 20th 8:00–AM – 2:00 204 New Increase ProfitsMedia Through a Highly Effective Sales Leading Change Through Process Improvement <NEW 8th 8:00 – 11:00 AM 439 Practical Tools for Taking Charge of Change Increase Profits Through a Highly Effective Sales Organization 13th 8:00 – 9:30 AM 319 ESOPs: The Overlooked Business Transition Option Allorcourses will be conducted at: 14th 8:00 – 10:00 AM 322 Health Care Reform is Here, Ready Not! Enterprise Bank & Trust 15th 8:00 – 10:00 AMAll courses 444 Leading Through Process willChange be conducted at: Improvement <NEW 11401 Olive Boulevard 20th 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM 204 Increase Profi ts Through a Highly Effective Sales Organization Enterprise Bank & Trust
1 mile east of I-270 on Olive
5
Member Spotlight
mcqu e en
jasha IN HER WORDS...
Future of Latina Leadership in St. Louis
Jasha McQueen: I grew up in a humble home in rural Florida with my parents who were two great role models. My mother is from Peru and my father was born in The United States. My mother immigrated to the United States in the 60’s, leaving behind her home and stable job as a bureau agent. Growing up I saw the determination my parents had, and that determination gave us the tools to succeed. One of the biggest eye openers I had regarding women and power was shown through my mother. After my mother left Peru, she found herself in a racially divided town where her accent and features automatically placed her as an outcast. My mother rose above the discrimination and the constant “no” to do what she could to help our family succeed.
Jasha McQueen: We have a unique opportunity; all individuals are born with certain attributes. For example: being born in a rich family, being a great violinist, or being of a different ethnicity. I urge not only the Latina’s in St. Louis but people in general, use your uniqueness, your cards and benefits, and use it to advance society by advancing yourself.
Women and Power
Jasha McQueen is co-owner and attorney of the St. Louis-based law firm, McQueen Awad LLC. Jasha is a second-generation immigrant fluent in Spanish, her practice areas focus on general corporate law, immigration law and international law. Prior to graduating cum laude with a law degree from Southern Illinois University School of Law, she served as a captain in the U.S. Army. Jasha earned a master’s degree in human resource management from Troy State University and an undergraduate degree in communications magna cum laude from the University of Tampa. Outside of her dedication to clients, Jasha also volunteers her time as a Board Member on the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan St. Louis Board and the United Cerebral Palsy of Greater St. Louis Board. Additionally, she educates aspiring business owners on the aspects of business law as a presenter on behalf of the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) and the Veterans Business Resource Center. She also received the St. Louis Business Journal’s “40 under 40” award in 2007 and was featured as a “St. Louis Character” in 2010. Jasha lives in St. Louis with her three boys and enjoys running, working out and writing music.
6
winter 2014 HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
I think that when it comes to women and power, we tend to undersell ourselves to the standards of men. We want the same things as men and we need to realize that we are different from men and embrace that. When I entered the Army in the 90’s the female topic was highly sensitive. What I was able to do in my sphere was to be a role model. I was a minority female and I used that to my advantage. I was able to dispel any sort of stereotypes. I took it upon myself to be a proponent of equalizing standards and other important aspects. I thought to myself, “As a leader, how am I going to lead men and not be able to perform at their level?” We need to use our cards and attributes that we were born with to empower ourselves. Women are powerful and it is up to us to create and nurture our power.
I think that what makes the Latina unique is our ability to rise through adversity and work hard to achieve our goals. I also believe that as Latinas in St. Louis we need to look at the future of the current diversity discussion. Diversity has the ability to divide people, it’s great that our society is celebrating diversity but I believe that we are going to the extreme with it and almost creating a backlash for ourselves. Instead, we should be celebrating our similarities first; we are looking at what makes us different. I agree in celebrating differences but I believe that if we can find a common ground through our similarities, looking at our differences and accepting those becomes easier.
Advice for Future Leaders Jasha McQueen: Do what you have to do to succeed and never victimize yourself. Quit being bogged down with the opinions of others and don’t make excuses. Excuses will be your enemy. With my second husband I was a victim of domestic abuse, after that incident I chose to leave and never look back. The reason I think I got out of that situation was because I never victimized myself. I could have said “Oh me, poor me,” and dwelt on that but I choose to empower myself and rise above. I know what it is like to be a victim of society’s insecurities and your own insecurities and I know that it is a choice. You control your success.
The purpose of the “Spotlight” column is to highlight notable Hispanics that are members of the Hispanic Chamber. We want to share their stories, their history and why they love to call St. Louis home. If you have a suggestion for a “Spotlight” column, please call 314.664.4432.
Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Welcomes
Mayor of San Antonio, T X. J u l i á n C a s t r o The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce held its 5th Annual Hispanic Speaker Series in January of 2014. The Hispanic Speakers Series is designed to highlight men and women of Hispanic descent that are making significant contributions to the region and/or the country.
T
his year the Hispanic Chamber was honored to have Julián Castro, Mayor of the City of San Antonio, Texas as the keynote speaker. The 5th Annual Hispanic Speaker Series luncheon took place on January 17, 2014 at the University of Missouri St. Louis Millennium Student Center.
The Hispanic Speakers Series is designed to highlight men and women of Hispanic descent that are making significant contributions to the region and/ or the country. “We were very pleased to have Mayor Julian Castro as our keynote speaker at this event,” said Karlos Ramirez, Executive Director of the Hispanic Chamber. “The great change and economic development that Mayor Castro has achieved in San Antonio is very inspiring. This growth, as well as the engagement of the Hispanic community is something that we are currently striving to achieve in St. Louis. I believe that this event was a great benefit to everyone in the St. Louis business community.” The proceeds from this event benefit the Hispanic Chamber’s educational programs, which aim to promote the economic development of Hispanic firms and improve business opportunities for all in the St. Louis Region. Past speakers include: Martin A. Sandoval (Illinois State Senator), George Paz (CEO of Express Scripts) and Consuelo Madere (Vice President Global Vegetable & Asia Commercial for Monsanto).
7
“Getting Results from your Strategic Plan” By Martha Garcia-Kampen, Sr. Partner, Kampen Consultants, LLC.
Ah, the best laid plans. In the area of business success, it seems there is no lack of data about the importance of planning; but there is very little information available on HOW to actually work those plans, and then fewer examples of companies who actually ACHIEVE the results needed.
S
o just exactly HOW does a business leader assure the successful implementation of their Strategic Plan for the desired outcome? The simple answer is: Discipline. The not-so-simple answer is Discipline amidst the “whirlwind of activity.”
We are familiar with Covey’s “Four Quadrants.” This is a Time management model in which we divide our time/ activities into four distinct quadrants labeled: 1) Urgent & Important, 2) Not Urgent & Important, 3) Urgent & Not Important and 4) Not Urgent & Not Important.
“He who fails to plan, plans to fail.” — Sir Winston Churchill
“Planning without action is futile, action without planning is fatal. — Unknown
8
winter 2014 HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
A
s business leaders we spend our time in all four of these quadrants in any given day, but the reality for most of us, is we spend the majority of our time in the first quadrant; Urgent & Important. And for obvious reasons. However, if we review the objectives in our Strategic Plan, most of them will fall into the second quadrant, “Not Urgent & Important.” It takes much more discipline to carve out time in our hectic day in this area. Seems we are always responding to others’ needs and requests; especially in this day of multiple and hand-held communication methodologies. We are seen as heroes in our workplace if we respond immediately to seemingly “urgent” requests; resulting in a daily “whirlwind of activity.” In fact, we are operating in a reactionary, rather than intentional way. As leaders, we need to be intentional in moving our organization and team FORWARD. Carving out even 30 minutes in a week can make a significant difference in accomplishing the Important, (though not urgent) initiatives set forth in your Strategic Plan. This is true IF you keep a lazerfocus in that time. Focusing on ONE lead measurement activity toward achieving the goal is the secret. For example, if the goal is to increase sales from $100k to $150k by September 30, what can readily affect that goal? Your people will probably tell you it’s number of contacts made. How many sales contacts do your salespeople need to make in order to produce the extra $50k? If you look at your records from the previous year and see that it takes on average 200
sales contacts to result in $50k sales, then you start setting and measuring the sales contacts per person. They can control how many contacts they make. They can measure and impact their sales number by the number of contacts they make. So the focus is not as much on the sales, as it is on the activity leading to the sale; the contact. If you work this intentional strategy into your workweek, it will make a profound impact on accomplishing the Important initiatives in your Strategic Plan. A Few Tips for Success: Keep it Relevant. Make sure your
targets (lead measure activities) are really important. No one wants to waste time (and be held accountable) for activities that do not produce results toward the real goals. Keep it Quick. I suggest 15 to
30 minutes per week. This is possible because you set the Lead Measurement goal (number of contacts in our example), ahead of time. Then each person just has to report their current number, and you measure it against the weekly or monthly target. It’s most efficient if you establish an easy-to-read “Scoreboard” or graphic depiction of measurement for each team player. Keep it Simple. Be sure everyone understands and agrees with the number they are to hit. Keep a simple Scoreboard to track everyone’s weekly/monthly progress. Make it FUN. Everyone performs
better and has more positive motivation toward working the important activities when there is
a little friendly competition among peers. This is not a time for rebuke; it is a time of celebrating, challenging and cheering individuals on to meeting their targets. It can also be a time when team players work together to problem-solve specific issues. Of course, if too much help is needed, then you take it off-line and into a separate meeting. Don’t bog the group down for one individual case. Make it a Priority. That means that
no other appointments trump this “huddle time.” If it’s a priority to the Leader of the team, then it will be respected as a priority to the team members. Setting the same day/ time weekly, and making it a priority, will assure everyone will work those important (if not urgent) activities throughout the week. The reality of the whirlwind of activity – or CHAOS – in our companies keeps us living in a very reactionary world. The economy has caused business leaders to plan on a more short-term, and reactionary mode, rather than strategically for long-term gain. That is all the more reason for spending time on what is IMPORTANT for the mid-to-long-term success of our teams and organizations. Moving even ONE “Wildly Important Goal”, (as they say in The 4 Disciplines of Execution1), forward, is what will assure your organization moves forward. For help in developing or implementing a realistic Strategic Plan, contact Kampen Consultants, LLC. Ref: The 4 Discipline of Execution, ©2012 by Franklin Covey Company, Authors Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, Jim Huling. 1
About Martha Garcia-Kampen: First-generation Mexican-American, Martha was raised bilingually and bi-culturally. Having studied in Guadalajara, Mexico, Martha launched her career in Hispanic Marketing to the U.S. With extensive experience in marketing research, planning and implementation, Garcia-Kampen provides generational and cultural strategic marketing consultation to businesses, educational development on cross-cultural communications and trains corporate leaders and teams in the areas of inclusion and diversity. Contact Info: Kampen Consultants, LLC 745 Craig Road, Suite 212, St. Louis, MO 63141. 888-887-6536. Martha@kampen.com • www.kampen.com.
9
everything
You Need to Know
about mobile websites By Raul Sanchez
Is Your Website Mobile? Nowadays, more than 50% of Internet traffic originates from smartphones and mobile devices —yet, most websites are not mobile friendly. That means that if your website is not optimized for mobile devices, you are not connecting with your audience, and perhaps losing business opportunities.
What does mobile friendly really mean? Mobile is not just apps. Aside from iOS, Android, and Windows apps —those are called native apps— there is another kind of mobile applications that is built on top of standard web technology, the same kind of technology that you might be using in your website. These are called Web Applications or Webapps. There are many terms in the industry to simply define “mobile friendly”. What this means is that your website should render appropriately on a small screen, and the way you expect the website to be used —the user experience— is consistent with the device limitations and the conditions in which users will be accessing your website. In other words: • Larger text that is legible on small screens. • Buttons that we can easily tap with our fingers. • Images that are resized to load faster on mobile devices. • Interface design that takes into consideration that users might navigate the mobile website using one hand. • Optimized number of screens to make it easier to navigate the mobile site.
10
• The device’s capability (camera, video, phone, location services, database, etc.) is utilized to its max.
Being mobile friendly is a big challenge. The market is floated with all sizes of devices, with different computing power and screen resolutions, which make it harder to deliver a consistent user experience across all devices. The good news is that most smartphones support a large range of features that you can leverage to create an amazing experience for your mobile website.
Technology moves faster than people’s ability to adopt it. Every technological revolution faces the challenge of user adoption. Mobile technology is no exception. Although we live in a nation where the number of smartphones outgrows the number of people, there are certain aspects of mobile technology that have not been widely adopted by consumers--specifically, mobile web. It is true that there are hundreds of millions of smartphones, and that people use their devices to browse the web all day long. However, most websites that people browse are not mobile friendly. This means that while we have devices that are capable of delivering the best user experience ever imagined, websites are not taking full advantage of the existing technology.
What are you missing? Did you know that today, mobile websites built with the latest web technology, HTML5, CSS3, and Javascript, can deliver a user experience that is comparable to native apps? If you feel left behind when it comes to having a mobile website, you are not alone. But you do not want to be the last one to take advantage of the great technology that is available today. Mobile is not a fashionable thing. It is not even an option. All of us —consumers— have adopted mobile as our preferred way to consume internet content. Some experts assure
winter 2014 HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
that last year over 40% of the emails sent in the United States were opened from mobile devices. That means that if your business sent an email campaign with a link to your website, there is a very good chance that the link was first opened from a mobile device. When your customers write reviews or comments about your business, in websites like Facebook or Yelp, their users might discover your business in their respective apps, and might try to find out more about your business directly from a smartphone. Unlike native apps, mobile websites are 100% searchable, and this is probably the number one reason for you to have a mobile website.
The Mobile Challenge It took a couple of decades and an army of developers and designers to build millions of websites that today are not suitable for mobile devices. As you can imagine, it might take a similar effort to convert old desktop-websites into mobile experiences. Traditionally, the creation of mobile websites involves the participation of multiple professionals. Developing a single mobile website requires planning, design, prototyping, development, testing, and deployment on a web server. To build and deliver a mobile website, it is required that one or many professionals follow a process that requires problem analysis, solution design, and application development. Although this process should lead to the creation of a unique mobile website, other websites that have the same purpose tend to look and behave alike. As a result, hundreds of design and development hours are wasted. A process that aims to produce unique mobile websites ends up generating solutions that are slightly different from other existing mobile websites of the same purpose.
3 Common mistakes that businesses do when going mobile 1. Underestimating the value of having a mobile website. This is probably the most common mistake. When you hear that most websites are not mobile friendly, if your website is one of them, you do not need to feel bad about it. After all, what is wrong with being part of the majority? However, you do not want to be part of the group of businesses that are not connecting with their customers. I have heard all sorts of excuses from businesses that are simply delaying the inevitable; sooner or later you will have to create a mobile website for your business. Many businesses pay thousands of dollars to increase their web traffic, and do not invest in a mobile website to keep the traffic that they already have. Mobile technology is not going away anytime soon, and customers will continue to use mobile devices to discover businesses. 2. Not relying on experts to get the job done. There are many software solutions on the market that claim that creating a mobile app or a mobile website is so simple that a kindergartner can do it —yet, great mobile websites are always built by professional designers and developers. Do not take me wrong, if you have some programming or graphic design background, mobile technology should be easier for you. However, if you choose to do it yourself, you will have to invest many hours, in some cases weeks, getting up to speed with the technology. I am a DIY type of guy myself, but you have to consider that your time is valuable. I would never advise a
lawyer who earns $250 per hour to do his or her own mobile website. It would be relatively inexpensive to hire qualified professionals that have the necessary skills and relevant experience. 3. Choosing the wrong technology solution. I do not want to get too technical, but something that you must keep in mind when choosing a technology solution, or a technology provider, is that your business will change —hopefully it will grow; technology will evolve; and new business opportunities will come along the way. For any of these scenarios, you want to make sure that the technology that you choose will grow with your business, adapt to changes, and allow your business to take advantage of future opportunities. In a nutshell: your mobile solution must be scalable and extensible.
Solution: start with the end in mind I am an architect by training. Although I was originally trained to design buildings, over the past 14 years, I have been working primarily on web technology. In the past, I have created complex dynamic data-driven websites, children’s games, and I had the fortune to develop some of the most popular online video-related products for the entertainment industry. About 2 years ago, I decided to focus exclusively on mobile technology. I started a company in St. Louis, Missouri, Appcropolis. As an Arch Grants Winner of 2013, I have created a patent-pending software that generates hundreds of thousands of mobile templates that are fully designed, coded, and ready to use. These templates can be used to convert your desktop-websites into mobile experiences. The company also provides an online Mobile Builder that allows you
to create entire mobile web applications, customize them, and publish them online, in just a few minutes. There many products on the market that can help you achieve this goal. The Appcropolis Mobile Builder is perhaps the only one that truly starts with the end result in mind. The software allows you to quickly browse through thousands of mobile pages, and once you find the design that you like, the software will create the necessary code in seconds. All that is left to do is to add your own photos and text.
Benefits • Designers can build websites with the end in mind, by choosing from thousands of templates that meet their needs. • Developers have full access to the source code, so they can customize the mobile application and fully integrate it with their organizations’ system. • Business Owners can reduce their IT cost and use Appcropolis’ platform to leverage mobile technology, quickly build mobile products, and create new business opportunities. Appcropolis’ mission is to become the go-to place for people to learn, discover, share and create HTML5 mobile applications. Conquering the mobile frontier is a must for designers, software developers and business owners. Overall, we expect that 80% of the mobile development work can be done by our software; therefore, your organization can spend 100% of the time creating the remaining 20%.
11
event MAR K ETIN G By Marcherie Vasquez
E
vent (or experiential) marketing has been one of the fastest growing fields in the industry; yet most may not realize it. From stunts, to a free sample of coffee, to the large custom-wrapped branded truck with games and prizes, today’s marketing environment has never been so exceptional. While some companies spend millions of dollars in traditional advertising on mass media, other companies shift most of their budget to fund events. That is because contrary to traditional media, event marketing has the ability to create memorable experiences by connecting with individuals or groups of people. Notably, the relationship between events and technology is also growing. The Event Marketing Institute released a special report titled EventTrack 2013 which indicates that “both brands and consumers are providing higher ratings of the effectiveness and value of event and experiential marketing. One of the key findings from the various surveys shows the significant increase in the percentage of brands offering and promoting, and consumers using, smart phones and tablets during various types of events
12
and experiences. Event participant and consumer use of devices to compare pricing, take photos, and share their experience with friends, family and colleagues is increasing rapidly. Agencies are also seeing and encouraging these trends.” The study, based on surveys of over 1,600 major corporations, organizations and agencies, found that event marketing budgets increased to 5% in 2012, from 3.6% in 2011. For these companies, event marketing is the most effective vehicle to increase brand awareness and drive sales. According to the survey, 79% agreed that event marking helps create brand awareness, followed by increased sales with 77%. A significant 95% of the respondents said that assuming the product or service promoted at the event was one consumers were interested in, participating in the event made them more inclined to purchase. Normally major companies hire agencies to activate these events at a local or national level. These events may be thematic mobile tours, sponsorships of sporting events and festivals, and sampling events, to name a few. Some mobile tours may be followed by
winter 2014 HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
“
While some companies spend millions of dollars in traditional advertising on mass media, other companies shift most of their budget to fund events.
”
a large key event, or a series of tours may hit many small events and festivals with the goal of connecting their brand with as many people as possible. There are many aspects to planning an event. However, here are some key components: • Define the target market • Create a strategy to reach this target market (on-premise, social media, advertising) • Budget • Select a theme, products to be offered, games, prizes, look and feel • Staffing • Create a promotional plan that
Event (or experiential) marketing has been one of the
fastest growing fields in the industry; yet most may not realize it.
includes Public Relations and community outreach • Set goals and specific metrics (number of people you want to engage) • Design a plan to continue to engage the consumer after the event • Recap and evaluate results The main idea is to create an appealing environment that will draw consumers to the site by offering activities that engages the consumer and encourages conversation. The activities should be those that would allow the consumer to learn more about the product. Therefore, the products to be featured to the consumers must be relevant. Consumers should have the opportunity to sample, use the product, and understand how it’s better than its competition. The staff plays an important role in this interaction; they should be outgoing and engaging as well. Prizes are a big draw, but these should be carefully selected. Prizes should not only be those that consumers will want to use, but also those that will remind them of the brand. Continuing to engage consumers after the event is a great strategy to build
relationships and eventually win them over, or retain them. Some corporations create surveys to gather demographic information, including an email address to send coupons, invitations to other events, or to offer the chance to win a prize. Others depend on social media, such as email, Twitter, Facebook and the like. The report EventTrack 2013 also offers the following interesting finding: 80% of their respondents use social media to reach more people, 72% to communicate event information, and 46% to enlist influencers. The respondents’ opinions about technology were: • Must fit with overall event strategy and goals. Must be simple and relevant. • It should be used as a channel to promote the event.
• Technology and social media are constantly changing; it is sometimes hard to keep up. The combination of events, technology and social media platforms have proven to influence consumers in not only making the decision to attend an event but also in purchasing the products featured at events. So next time you are at your local store sampling and conversing about wine with an attractive brand ambassador, you may not realize how she can cleverly, and subtlety, convince you to take a bottle home to share the experience with your significant other. She may even ask you to ‘like’ the brand on Facebook so that she can invite you to a special event... and without realizing it; you have been captivated by that brand experience.
• Must be the right platform(s) for the right event and target audience. • It should engage in conversation with participants, instead of simply push information. • Must set guidelines for proper usage.
13
public speaking: A necessary skill to develop to set you apart
P
ublic speaking is a skill that is vital to professional success today. The way you formally present is a reflection of your professionalism, knowledge about the topic, and credibility regardless if the presentation is in front of a small group of colleagues or an industry conference of 500+ attendees. Yet, most people dread the idea of making a presentation because it puts the individual in a fearful position of making mistakes in front of colleagues, peers, friends and bosses. There isn’t one secret formula or magic bean to overcome the fear of public speaking and automatically be good at it. In fact, the way to being a good presenter is know the purpose of your presentation, deliver a clear message and practice. Below are tips on ways to improve your presentation skills.
What is the purpose of the presentation?
14
Presenters owe it to their audience to understand why they are asked to speak and customize their content to the audience. It’s a sign of respect. “Canned” presentations or presentations that are rather generic offer little in the way of strong content, messaging, and making a memorable impression on the audience. Details Matter
When presenting in front of a group, the way you present yourself matters. Posture, volume of voice, tone, and pitch, eye contact, hand gestures, usage of tools like Prezi or PowerPoint, audience engagement, etc…make a difference in whether the audience will remember what you had to say. Much of what is involved with making a strong impression when presenting is common sense. The challenge is managing and overcoming the most common mistakes when presenting. Some of the most common mistakes when presenting include:
Why were you asked to make the presentation? What knowledge and expertise do you have to share with others that makes you the authority on this topic? If you are asked by your manager to give an update at the next staff meeting about the status of a project you oversee, you are automatically positioned as the key source for your department. Even for a status update at a department meeting, spend five minutes before the meeting writing down three highlights of the project. Be organized with your thoughts. When you give your update, you will give a clear and concise response. This shows that you are respectful of our colleagues’ and manager’s time.
Filler words: These are the words used in everyday speech – “like,” “um,” “er” and others used routinely in casual conversations often go unnoticed but stick out in a when used in a professional setting. Record yourself when you practice your presentation. Listen for the filler words.
If you are asked to speak at an industry event or business group meeting, learn as much as you can about the organization and the backgrounds of the people attending. This allows you to customize the message.
Uptalk: Uptalk is a term used for when you end a sentence with an upward pitch and it sounds like a question. To overcome this be aware of the tone you use at the end of the sentence. The tone
Speaking to quickly: Rapid speech is a common effect of nerves, and can make the speaker hard to follow. That is especially true during a presentation when clarity is important. One quick trick is to take a breath before your speak. This simple action creates a natural break in speech and helps to slow you down.
of your voice should go down if you are making a statement. Monotone: Want to bore your audience? Use a monotone voice. This does not mean that you need to have extremes with low and high pitches. It is about having a variation when you speak. The best way to overcome a monotone voice is to breathe and relax before you present. The natural variations of your voice will be heard. Keep the Presentation Flowing
Your delivery is a reflection of how well you communicate you communicate with others and build credibility in your industry. The keys to having a memorable presentation is to: Tell a story: You are sharing information with others. It may be filled with lots of facts and figures but it shouldn’t be boring to listeners. Share a little bit of your personality so people can build the trust in you as an expert and human being. Keep it simple: Your presentation should be distilled to the simplest points so your audience is able to retain the information. The power of three is a wonderful concept. When writing your presentation, think about three items you want your audience to remember. It’s hard to remember 10 items. Repeat yourself: It may sound like you are attending a family gathering where the same stories are often share but you do remember those stories. Cramming every bit of information into a speech should never be the objective. Reiterating the main points gives you the opportunity to share your expertise, ensure that members of the audience remember what you said, and forces you to discuss what matters most.
Ann Marie Mayuga is a partner with AMM Communications, LLC, and is a member of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan St. Louis. Founded in 2008, AMM Communications LLC, public relations, marketing and training agency of St. Louis, Missouri, provides PR, business development, crisis communications, content marketing, internal communications, executive training, marketing, media relations, reputation management, and search consulting. AMM Communications works with small- and mid-sized businesses nationwide. From 2010-2012, the agency was voted as one of the top 25 St. Louis public relations firms by the readers of Small Business Monthly. For more information, please navigate to www.ammcommunications.com or call 314.485.9499.
winter 2014 HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
2014
ca l e n da r o f ev e n t s We invite you to attend any and all of our events this year. We look forward to seeing you in 2014, please visit our website to RSVP for these vents. www.hccstl.com
BUSINESS AFTER HOURS
E D U C A T IO N A L F O R U M S
are held from 6:00 - 8:00 pm.
are held at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s Centene Technology Center from 11:30 am – 1:00 pm
January 16
Garcia Properties
February 20
State of the Chamber @ HCC
March 20
Hispanic Bar Association @ HCC
April 17
Tania Interian Agency LLC
May 15
Fifth Third Bank
February 12 ‘How to Have Your Best Sales Year Ever’ —Presented by Patti Harty of Stark and Associates
June 19
AT&T Hacemos
March 12
July 17
Sheraton Westport Chalet
August 21
City of Ferguson
January 8 ‘Essentials of Employment Based Immigration’—Presented by Jalesia “Jasha” McQueen & Salim E. Awad, McQueen Awad LLC
‘ The Power of Email Marketing’ —Presented by Barry Coziahr, Constant Contact
April 9 ‘Estate Planning —Creating Your Own Health Care Directive’ — Presented by Carol Mena
September 18 Facilitec
Quick, Attorney-at-Law, Debra K. Schuster, PC
October 16
May 14 ‘Development Resources for Small Business’ —Presented by Gary Alexander, Small Business Administration
HCC (Elections) @ HCC
November 20 Remax Gold — Jose Ponce December 18
Casa Loma
S I G N AT U R E E V E N T S
June 11 ‘Taking Control: Financial Strategies for Women’ —Presented by Teresa Boyer Allgeyer, Waddell & Reed Financial Advisor
January 17 Hispanic Speaker Series University of Missouri – St. Louis February 26 Job and Business Fair Sheraton St. Louis City Center April 25 Adelante Awards DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton September 11 Annual HCC STL Foundation Golf Classic Norman K. Probstein Golf Course October 10 Latino Leadership Institute Class IV Begins
15
C o r p o r at e S p o n s o r s
PLATINUM Anheuser-Busch, Inc. Centene Corporation Nestlé Purina
DIAMOND Regional Business Council
SILVER
BRONZE FRIEND Madrina’s Ice Cream AMDOCS, Inc. McCormack Baron Salazar, Inc. Armstrong Teasdale LLP Midwest BankCentre AutoZone NextGen Information Services, Inc. Commerce Bank Pangea Group Crown Linen Service Dean Team People’s Health Centers Emmis Communications St. Louis Prudential Enterprise Bank & Trust Ranken Technical College Enterprise Rent-A-Car Sheraton St. Louis City Center Hotel and Suites Facilitec Corporate Furnishings Stinson Leonard Street, LLP Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis St. Louis College of Health Careers Fifth Third Bank St. Louis Community College Garcia Properties St. Louis Post-Dispatch Guarantee Electric Company UMB Bank Hospitality Staffing Solutions United Way LHM Sheraton Westport Hotels VisionIT Lowe’s Home Improvement