Passion Profile – LaFontaine Preparatory School

I’ll be doing a blog series on people in our community with a passion for making Richmond, KY a better place for us all. These people may be local entrepreneurs, business professionals, church leaders, volunteers, children or just anyone with that fiery passion for our community. I believe it is important to showcase those who make Richmond what it is.

I would like to introduce you to Gus LaFontaine, Owner of LaFontaine Preparatory School.

Gus moved to Madison County at the tender age of 6 and has been a blessing to our community since.  From his soccer and basketball days at Madison Southern High School, he knew that he wanted to be a teacher.  Though out of high school Gus enrolled in the Kentucky Army National Guard.  He was enlisted for 11 years before being commissioned a lieutenant two years ago.   Meanwhile, Gus received his Undergraduate and Masters degrees at EKU in Elementary Education and Instructional Leadership respectively.  Gus says “In the Army I gave 110% and now that I’m out, I’m ready to give 110% to my community.”

Hosting a year-end cookout for his Kirksville Elementary class at his home in Richmond.

Gus, and his wife Kristin, are just a little over a month away from opening LaFontaine Preparatory School located across from Richmond Centre.  Their website reads “LaFontaine Preparatory School is completely focused on putting your child in the absolute best environment to promote academic growth, social development, cultural enlargement, and a rise in emotional awareness.”  To hear Gus talk about the goal and the purpose of the school, the passion he has to teach our children is undeniable.

Gus’s plan isn’t your traditional pre-K curriculum.  LPS will employ a part-time Art Instructor and Dance Instructor.  Gus and Kristin have toured a number of high end schools around the country and have seen the amazing impact of yoga in students.  You also won’t find 15 year old technology or teachers throwing down boxes of Crayola crayons and calling it art.  Gus has plans to have the facilities lined with iPads with modern graphic design software to teach the students modern trends in technology and art.  I’ve actually been in discussion with Gus to have Surge Promotions transport screen printing equipment to the school and allow students to print their own artwork onto t-shirts.

He also has a passion for diversity.  While Richmond isn’t the most diverse of places, a “55 inch flat screen TV with a Skype connection” offers a lot in the form of connecting with students across the globe.  LPS  believes strongly in our youth experiencing and meeting individuals with different backgrounds.  Through technology they will be able to experience things well beyond the borders of Madison County.

The thing that impresses me the most, however, is his focus on his passion.  His goal isn’t to create another daycare in Richmond.  This is why he purposefully only has offers half-day sessions.  His passion is to deliver the ABSOLUTE BEST curriculum to these students.  When you hear him talk about his purpose in this community, you see him light up with pride, passion and determination.  He knows that he’s been called to teach the children of Richmond and that’s exactly what he has his heart set on.

For more information please visit the LaFontaine Preparatory School website.

U.S. Postal Service Embraces QR Codes

The United States Postal Service may have answered the question that marketers have been trying to answer for the last several months.  “Are QR codes the real deal, or just a fad?”

In case you aren’t familiar with QR codes, they are those little white squares with weird patterns of black squares (see image above) that tell smartphones to do a specific action.  A QR code (short for Quick Response code) is a specific two-dimensional code readable by QR code readers. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be text, URL, iPhone App, YouTube video, phone number, contact information (vCard), SMS message and many other intriguing call to actions.

There has been a great debate on whether the QR codes were going to be widely accepted in the US, as it has in Japan and other countries, or if it would fizzle out.  In possibly the most impressive action of support to date, the US Postal Service announced on Monday, May 23 that they would partner with the mobile technology to offer businesses and non-profits a 3% discount off postage with the use of the QR code. That is a huge deal for marketers and advertisers who utilize the direct mail services.  Tom Foti, manager, Marketing Mail said “This promotion is another step in our long-term strategy to ensure mail remains relevant as a key element in the overall advertising mix for an increasingly interactive marketplace.”  Foti says the two-month Mobile Barcode Promotion marks the first mailing industry promotion based on a multimedia approach, and is designed to demonstrate how the value of mail is increased by interfacing with technology to engage customers.

There are a few minor requirements, but nothing to deter you from taking advantage of this wonderful promotion.  You can read more about the promotion or the press release itself.

Social Media Blueprint – From a Travel Agent

I know what you’re thinking, how is this going to work?

Regardless of your preconceived notions, the 4 most important aspects of developing a solid social media plan are eerily similar to topics discussed in a travel consult.  Just as in planning for a family vacation, it requires a lot of planning to create a social media campaign that accomplishes whatever it is you’re seeking to accomplish.

Maybe you’ve been tweeting for a while.  Maybe you’ve even created a LinkedIn page a long time ago but haven’t been back in 6 months. You’ve probably had a Facebook profile for a couple of years to catch up with old high school and college buddies.  Or, maybe you’re like some of us that turn off the alarm in the morning and check to see what all of your friends are doing at 6:30 AM.    Regardless where you are, you’ve determined that you want to start leveraging social media for your business, organization or your own personal brand.  You’re a business owner, a youth minister, a realtor, a Pampered Chef consultant or a sales rep looking to make your quota.  You’ve already asked yourself, “how do I start capitalizing in this environment?”  Well, let’s look and see how would a travel agent would help you plan out such a journey.

CHOOSING YOUR DESTINATION [SETTING GOALS]

The first question that is going to be answered in a meeting with your travel agent is going to be, “Where are you wanting to go?”  That’s exactly the same question that you need to ask yourself when you’re diving into social media.   You can’t just learn a few tips on how to establish yourself as an authority in your field and put them to work.  While it may gain you a bit of leverage, you don’t have any plan on how to use that leverage.  You must first create specific, tangible goals.  Do you want to get more sales leads?  More subscribers to your newsletter, blog or YouTube channel?  Increase sales?  Create more awareness (comments, likes, etc.)?  Whatever your goal may be, put it in writing.  Create a metric.  How many subscribers would be considered successful?  50?  500?  5,000?  At this point, don’t worry too much about exactly how you’re going to accomplish these goals.  Learning what works and what doesn’t work is part of the process, and we’ll talk more about implementation as we go along.

PLANE, TRAIN OR AUTOMOBILE?  [WHICH PLATFORM(S) TO USE?]

Determining which platform(s) to use is actually more important than you would think.  Not necessarily because you might miss a great opportunity, but more so that you don’t waste your time in an arena with little return.  If you’re trying to get leads, where are your customers spending their time?  If you’re looking for interaction with industry professionals, where are they networking?  If you’re looking to get subscribers to your social media channels, what other blogs and podcasts are they subscribing to?  In this step, you need to think like an advertiser.  There is a reason why commercials for cleaning products air during Extreme Couponing and not during MMA fights.  I’m not trying to be sexist, but intelligent advertising is!  The lesson to be learned here is to not over complicate things.  If you want to reach your target, go where your target is.  Don’t pour your time into LinkedIn when your prospects are tweeting and video blogging on YouTube.

SAFETY AND SECURITY CONSULT [IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER]

After you have booked your destination and your bags are packed, it’s still important to go over a few things to remember while traveling.  When you’re new to the environment, don’t come in swinging.  When you meet someone, you don’t say “Hi, my name is ________, please do business with me.”  Don’t be ‘that guy’.  That faux pas is even more emphasized online.  People have the uncanny ability to figure you out.  If you have an agenda, they’ll know it.  You must remember a couple of key elements.

1.       Provide Value First.  Start everything by building a foundation of trust.  Without trust your engagement is hollow and your words will fall on deaf ears.  Give value first and you will stay relevant.

2.       Promote Others More Than Yourself.  The common rule is that you should promote others 12 times before promoting yourself.  If you want to pat yourself on the back, don’t.  Let other people do that for you.  In the meantime, pat someone else’s back that deserves it.  Be sincere and this will come back to you.

3.       It’s About Engagement, Not Selling.  Sure you’re goal might be to increase sales, but that doesn’t mean selling!  People want to do business with people they know and trust, not people who sell them.  Show them that your worth doing business with.

4.       Be open with what you want to accomplish.  When people get the impression that that may be getting fooled, your credibility is gone and you aren’t getting it back.  If you are an affiliate, be honest with it.  If you’re blogging about a paying relationship, be open about it.  People will see your sincerity.  Become a Trust Agent.

LEAVE SOME TIME FOR SPONTANEITY [GO WITH THE FLOW!]

While it’s extremely important to be prepared for your experience, don’t fall in the trap of planning everything.  You’re new to this, and you shouldn’t be able to predict any uncertain endeavor.  Just as the seasoned business vets will tell you, a business plan for a startup should go no further than 2 years.  You’re wasting your time!  Don’t try to plan a social media campaign for more than 12 months.  Let’s face it, Twitter has changed a lot in the past 12 months.  You can see the landscape of Facebook changing with the integration of the Like button, groups and fan pages.  There might be a new microblogging tool that takes the web by storm.  If you’re too invested in one avenue of engagement, you’re putting yourself behind the 8 ball.  Stay focused, but keep your eyes open.  If the ROI isn’t cutting it, reevaluate your time and effort and see if another platform will bring a better return.

Social media offers some great opportunities to really evaluate the numbers.  You can gauge results far better than most other forms of advertising.  With stats such as likes, followers, connections, comments and subscribers, there are many ways to gauge exactly how you’re doing.   Don’t be wishy-washy, but don’t be afraid to listen to your results.

Now go book your trip today!