Being a Local Celebrity

That's a cocky way to start my first 'real' post in over 2 weeks. Turns out at an event in Orlando this week I was chatting with someone I just met and he was telling me about all the things I was doing. It was quite awesome to say the least.

Then I went back into the room and maybe a dozen people asked about one of the launch parties I just threw. More still asked how my show went on Friday night. Boosts your ego and confidence for sure.

So this post is about becoming a local celebrity - or rather a leader in your community. The reason is because I think its important for young people to broaden their reach, expand their networks and get off the computer.

My 5 step plan to dominating your local ego

1. Starts online - You need to brand yourself online for what you want to be known for offline. The images, videos, text and layouts you portray online will go with you when you meet these people in real life. Your personality is expected to be an extension of your online brand.
2. Network with the right people - When I first started getting Rollett Marketing and later Endagon Innovations off the ground the goal wasn't to meet everyone, just the influentials in each market. I joined AD2, a local adverting association for young professionals and hung out with the president a few times. Showed up to an event and chatted with the speakers and the people who put the event on. Now I get invites and referrals from the former president whenever she needs to hand something off. Next I went outside my industry and met a major player from every angle that I can. It doesn't pay your bills to know 100 marketers all selling the same Kool Aid. I'd rather know one heavy hitter in hospitality, one in real estate, a few local business owners, some artists, musicians, media professionals, some developers to code all the crazy stuff I'd like to do and boom you have a diverse network of people who can fill your head with very exciting ideas and problems.
3. Become a leader - I serve on 2 Boards of Directors, for Rock For Hunger and doterati. Both have presented me with opportunities and introduced me to people that I never would have had. They are help me give back the community and see life in different ways than I have in my own life.
4. Give, give , give. These days I am working on the Tim Ferriss mantra of no, no, no (unsuccessfully), but for years I was always about give, give, give. I would play free shows, volunteer for numerous charities, interviewed countless bands, stayed late at work, picked up extra shifts, gave rides, built websites, spoke on panels, gave countless free presentations, wrote a blog with good free advice and all kinds of other stuff. You know what, it pays off. When I need a favor, an introduction or help in an area, I have a great network that is happy to help me out.
5. Love your city. Speaking at Ignite Orlando on the topic I did made me realize that I love my city, the people in it and the events that make it worthwhile. If I hated where I lived, the people didn't support each other and there was nothing fun to do - then it would be really hard to connect, grow and build your business.

This post was all in good fun and while I do have some Urban Outfitter tees that declare my Local Celebrity-ness, I am still eager to get on the town, get dirty and network my ass off, promote the hell out of my work and have a damn good time in my city.

What do you guys think? What makes you or someone you know a local celebrity or what makes them an egomaniacal (is that a word) asshole?

-Greg Rollett

Demand vs. Budget vs. Scale

One of our clients is making some great progress using Social Media and engaging with folks online in the local community. They are doing so good that we are having impromptu meetings with the managers almost daily for the last week or so. This is good, but is the attention both sides are giving to a small social media plan worth it?

Here is the thing.
For all the work, going back and forth, re-working policies and trying to make one influential social media person happy worth it for all parties? After all the hoopla, the links, the blog posts, the meetings and headaches, there have been 2 official orders since implementing Twitter @ orders. I think that may equal $30-40 or so.

As the agency, I think there are many things that can be done to improve the situation and use social media in their everyday business. From adding notes on their receipts to adding URL's to napkins or to-go boxes, and adding live screens to the restaurant. I do think this would make a difference in their bottom line and would love to see the impact it has so we can scale it to larger businesses and help other mom and pops out with a tight budget.

So what is the budget?
It's not huge. We're not talking McDonald's money here. We are talking about a mom and pop restaurant in which the owners pull shifts, managers work plenty of overtime and the servers could use a few extra tables to help with the bills. So how do you scale social media to increase sales without taking away integrity from regulars, shifts away from employees and focus away from management? And still be authentic.

This is something that we have struggled with. I'd love to get a 40 inch plasma displaying tweets above the bar. Is a $1,000 investment worth it to make a few sales here and there? I don't think so. Is monitoring Twitter 24/7 to take in some orders, make some folks happy and continue to learn about the tools that were a foreign language only 2 months ago? I do think so. Is continuing to engage and create great content themed around their culture, history and restaurant important? You betcha. Has searched increased since we came around. Yup. Has business increased and produced and ROI. Heck yes.

Training and upgrading
As we move forward with this and other clients, I think employee training is becoming more and more a top priority. Social Media is not a marketing strategy in itself, that much we know. But it is also something that we need to take the plastic off of and really sit in to understand. If employees don't know about your Facebook page, then its a fail. If they don't know about discounts shown on a text message, its a fail. Treating employees as part of your marketing plan and mixing that into social media habits is a large next step for us and for many companies this year. The success Zappos employees have with new media is a great start and success story. Some other clients have really grasped that hand holding is just a band aid.

Small Business Scaling
The bigger the budget the bigger the opportunity. I don't believe that statement for a second. Being small means moving faster. Could you imagine if McDonald's took orders over Twitter overnight after one person said that they should? I don't think so. Being able to have freedom and quickness is an advantage that small businesses have with social media. If this Twitter ordering thing doesn't pan out, there will be another move. No harm, no foul. And if tomorrow we produce $1,000 in sales from Twitter orders, maybe I'll push for that flat screen.

Thanks for the enlightening conversation Ted Murphy, Etan Horowitz, ElRoss and GC Koupaki (I am sure there are more of you too).

What are your thoughts on small business, social media and scaling?

-Greg Rollett

(Photo courtesy of tedmurphy)

What Our Office Has Done For Business

We’ve been in our office for about 4 months now. Residing in Downtown Orlando has been the biggest blessing for all of my projects. It’s not so much that I spend 24/7 at the office, waking up at dusk at my desk and making things happen around the clock. I still work a 9-5, so my hours are always after the close of business. Even with lack of my physical presence there, it has been the single greatest investment for me and all my crazy endeavors, Rollett Marketing, Endagon, jamblr, SkatterBand and Rock For Hunger.

Why is this?

1. Creates a more professional appearance. Saying, stop by the office, or meet us in the conference room, is a great way to tell clients that you are very professional about your work. Imagine me telling some of my larger folks, yea stop by the town home, watch out for the dog and sorry we forgot to do dishes so stay out of the kitchen.
2. Makes you look and appear larger than you are. For all the clients that we do have (and I love you all), I still consider us to be a small start-up with major room to grow. Having an office in the center of commerce, makes companies think you have it going on, even in our early stages.
3. Gives me confidence. I feel like I am apart of something great and huge. I can shoot the shit with execs and CEO’s and feel like I am apart of their culture. I want to be at the level where my voice is strong both online and in the community and confidence is key!
4. Central location for all team members, volunteers, employees, etc. Having everyone meet at “our office” is a great way to get everyone organized and in the same place moving towards the same goal. We can have all our materials, training sessions and idea times together, in person, in “our home.”
5. Team building. Being in the office with my partners and employees has brought us closer together(not quite showering close like the Office Newb says). We are not only learning how to start and build companies, websites and start-ups, but we are learning to cultivate relationships that extend beyond working hours. Being in this situation, where they are right next to you all day, you find things that normally wouldn’t show up over a beer at a bar, or on a conference call. Plus the creativity level is at an all time high!

The added expense of being located downtown has been a sore subject and honestly, there were some tough decisions I had to make as a friend and a business leader. When the dust had settled, we are becoming stronger and more focused than ever.

Three months ago if you had asked me what I would be doing, I damn sure wouldn’t have said this. It’s crazy how things work out for the best and by taking chances and risks you open up closed doors to opportunities.

We are closing in on 2 months left in our initial lease and already thinking of the possibilities of moving into a warehouse setting where we can get everyone from all the ventures working and breathing in the same space. This would be ideal:


For now, I’ll just enjoy the view and atmosphere of being in one of the coolest buildings in Orlando! 118 E. Jefferson St.

-Greg Rollett

photos by: Jordi Gomara (itaca2000) and jonathanpoh

Calling all Local Business! Still Wasting Your Budget with the Yellow Pages?

For local businesses with a tight advertising budget, the battle between print and online advertising has become somewhat of a title bout (think Tyson-Hollyfield I-when we all cared). What’s going to happen, is a dominant champion will arise and internet is that new champion.

Print still controls the bulk of money spent for local business advertising (Yellow Pages, etc) but the Internet is rapidly on the rise and gaining ground. A recent study done by TMP finds that shoppers are now more than ever researching online and buying locally.

"Offline local search, White Pages and Yellow Pages directory advertising is a $15 billion market and fairly static," said Stuart McKelvey, CEO of TMPDM. "Online local search is a $1 billion market and growing. The fact that two thirds of our online panel use online search as their primary source of local business information suggests that advertisers should consider the allocation of offline vs. online local search investments.”

The internet will continue to gain ground as marketers find new ways of implementing strategies into websites, blogs, social networking, online directories, bookmarking sites and more. The rise in popularity of sites such as www.yellowpages.com mean that even the phone book companies are making a huge effort to reach the people searching online.

Most individuals who search online still buy and visit offline merchants and services (brick and mortar sites). In the study mentioned above, 33% still consider print yellow pages as their primary source of local business info.

If you tip the glass over this means that 67% are using the internet and other means for getting their information.

The change is a coming people! The only question now is, how far behind the train will you be?