The question is often posed: “What is BNI NZ doing about marketing?” The perception is that marketing is advertising, when advertising is really just a small element of any marketing plan – and not one BNI actively subscribes to. Being a ‘word of mouth’ organisation, BNI does not believe that advertising is effective marketing for our business. Instead, BNI’s marketing initiatives are centred on public relations or influencer marketing – whereby we ‘encourage a core of influential people’ to generate ‘word of mouth’ marketing on our behalf. This is much more powerful than traditional advertising and has an exponentially higher conversion rate – it’s just not that ‘visible’ – but then again, neither is the tide and we know how much power the tide brings to bear!
Our primary audience is the media, opinion leaders, training and economic development organisations, public speakers, trainers, industry groups and associations and franchises – to name just a few. We use a number of tactics to reach these people and to encourage them to see for themselves how powerful the BNI concept is:
BNI Blog
The BNI blog has to be counted as one of our success stories. Visited by more than 100 people a day, it is being used by education co-ordinators and stimulating a good flow of comment and interaction from New Zealanders and people around the world. I personally have been contacted by people who have read the blog – which is promoted via twitter, Facebook and database marketing – and as a result, want to join BNI. The blog is increasingly becoming a powerful source of information, education and training delivered by some of the best writers and thinkers in the world.
Media
Media remains a key marketing tool for BNI. We encourage journalists to join BNI – very often with complementary memberships. Invariably, they end up writing or reporting on BNI’s activities because they are converted by the power of their own experiences.
Breakfast is on us
For most of 2009 BNI carried out a ‘Breakfast is on us’ campaign through Home Biz Buzz – reaching thousands of our target market – with an offer to pay their breakfast as a way of introducing them to BNI. Each time this campaign ran we converted never less than ten people to BNI. The same ‘Breakfast is on us’ offer was run very successfully at the Small Business Expos where BNI has maintained a national presence since the Expos began, again, with excellent success.
In addition, BNI sends out several press releases and articles every single month, which are published around the country. Here is a sample of our successes:
1. Printer’s News – How to escape the price, quality and service trap
2. Business to Business Newspaper – How to protect yourself in a recession
3. Scoop – http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0907/S00228.htm (How to protect yourself in a recession). Top 20 most popular read articles.
4. Infonews – http://www.infonews.co.nz/news.cfm?l=1&t=0&id=39226. (How to protect yourself in a recession).
5. Btob – http://www.btob.co.nz/cms/news/2009/07/protect_yourself_in_recession.php
6. Home Biz Buzz – http://www.homebizbuzz.co.nz/article.php3?CategoryID=119&ArticleID=1704 (How to go from redundancy to a profitable small business in a hurry)
7. Kapiti Mana – Networking in tough times
8. Hawkes Bay Today – Hawkes Bay SMEs find profitable growth in unity
9. North Shore Times Advertiser – BNI Raises $8,500 for Hospice
10. Daily News New Plymouth – Network Group
11. Whakatane Beacon – Networking Group Looks for More Members
12. How to Generate Referral business in a tight economy – NZBusiness feature
13. Good magazine – Hospice acknowledges BNI support
14. Northern Advocate – Northland Business Expo
15. Plumbers Journal – How to generate referral business in a tight economy
16. Casual networking is dead – NZBusiness feature
17. EDBs – Wellington
Internal Communications
Internally, BNI continues to deliver value to members via director workshops, MSP, Leadership Team Training and this year, the Big Breakfasts.
1. Auckland Big Breakfast – attended by more than 230 members. Keynote speaker Bill James. The Auckland Big Breakfast was attended by our partner magazine, NZBusiness. Complementary copes of the magazine were given to members at all three venues and 10 subscription prizes were given away from a business card draw at each venue.
2. Wellington Big Breakfast – attended by more than 135 people. Keynote speaker Colin Kennedy and Niiraj Patel, National Director, BNI India.
3. Christchurch Big Breakfast – attended by approxmiately 130 guests. Keynote speaker Jo Seager.
In 2010 BNI has plans to roll-out a series of networking and personal development training programmes free to members – watch this space. BNI has also delivered a series of newsletters highlighting member initiatives, successes and training and advice.
Bizzone National Bank Seminars and Small Business Expo
BNI did public presentations to the public at the Small Business Expo’s around New Zealand – as did a number of other presenters (influencers) who were happy to mention BNI in their presentations. Highlights included:
1. Colin Kennedy spoke to the Auckland Bizzone National Bank seminar of approximately 200 people on: “How to make word of mouth marketing work for you”. BNI maintained a presence at this Expo.
2. Colin Kennedy spoke to the Wellington Bizzone National Bank seminar of approximately 100 people on: “How to make word of mouth marketing work for you”.
3. Colin addressed the Christchurch Bizzone National Bank seminar on behalf of BNI on: “How to make word of mouth marketing work for you”.
Alliances
It is important at this point to remember that BNI is actively cultivating ‘friendships and alliances’ with other like-minded people, organisations and companies who help to ‘influence’ the behaviour of our target markets. Alliances and friendships include:
NZ Business Magazine
BNI NZ enjoys a productive alliance and relationship with NZBusiness – with Cathy Parker, editor Glenn Baker and the team at Adrenalin. As a result the NZBusiness team were present at our 10th anniversary celebrations and were a visible sponsor of this event. Our articles are always well received and in turn BNI promotes discounted subscriptions and advertising to members. Leadership team members receive a free subscription to the magazine during their term.
Home Biz Buzz
BNI participated in judging of the Davids Awards – a national initiative – continues to advertise from time to time and articles from BNI are always welcomed by Heather Douglas and her team.
Coffee News
Coffee News runs BNI advertisements in all their publications. In return we offer Coffee News franchisees a complementary membership.
WHK Business Growth
Charged with delivery of very effective business training to the broader New Zealand business community, WHK and BNI NZ enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship, with the result that WHK refer potential members to BNI and mention BNI in their training presentations.
Enterprise North Shore
Enterprise North Shore is a supportive organisation, and one we count as a ‘friend’ of BNI. Terry Hoskins is a firm believer in the organisation – as we are in tune with what ENS is achieving. From time to time BNI is featured in the organisation’s widely circulated magazine and visitors to ENS can usually pick up BNI brochures. BNI is actively pursuing a relationship with Chambers and enterprise development organisations around the country.
YPA – Young Professionals Association (Carmel Murphy)
BNI is hoping to conclude a partnership or alliance with YPA ( a national networking organisation for young professionals). The feeling is that there are a lot of synergies between the two groups, with many young professionals also being members of BNI. There may be room for us to refer members between us, attend each other’s functions and receive publicity in their magazine.
New Zealand College of Chiropractic
Colin Kennedy, on behalf of BNI New Zealand, was invited by Dr David Russell to talk to graduates starting their own practises about networking and BNI and this looks set to become an annual event.
Reciprocity Survey
BNI New Zealand, together with business academic and researcher Alan Cadwallader, and BNI member Carlene Martin of Online Products, is in the advanced stages of implementing a nationwide survey into the corporate social responsibility practices of small businesses. We believe this is a newsworthy activity which aligns very well with the ‘Givers Gain’ philosophy of BNI.
Hospice New Zealand
BNI New Zealand’s own corporate social responsibility programme is primarily carried out because the team at BNI New Zealand and most of our members want to help this worthy cause. A spin-off (although by no means our primary reason for doing it) is that through Hospice, BNI engages with the broader community, increasing profile, presence and significance.
The exciting and innovative activities of our members in raising money for Hospice also create a number of interesting articles and photographs which get reported in local media. We recently held our first charity Golf Day in Rotorua which raised $6,000 for Hospice.
APN Finda Subscription
BNI NZ holds a subscription to this national database of businesses. Members are able to book time to go online and research specific categories in their area i.e. hairdressers in Ponsonby, and then send those businesses an invitation to attend a meeting.
Helping to send our elite women road cyclists to the 2012 Olympics
BNI New Zealand starts a $1,000 annual sponsorship of the Women’s Elite cycling team heading to the London Olympics in 2012.
The sponsorship entitles BNI New Zealand logo placement on the cyclists uniform, team vehicle, recognition at team functions, events and races; recognition on the team website and in the team’s newsletters.
“Its our chance to be a part of something special and to make a small contribution to advancing New Zealand on the world stage,” says Graham Southwell.
What’s ahead for 2010?
BNI NZ plans to:
1. Step-up our ‘influencer marketing’ activities and to maintain a strong national public relations presence which establishes BNI as the ‘go to’ networking organization of choice;
2. Implement a social networking strategy
3. Develop the corporate social responsibility imitative – including the national survey
4. Implement a strong member personal development and training programme
For more information, contact colin.kennedy@ironroad.co.nz
