Coloring Contests For Business Blog Readers?

Monday, March 1, 2010 by Rhoda Israelov

A favorite lunch spot for me is the Illinois Street Food Emporium in Indianapolis. Well, the other day, besides a very tasty salad and soup lunch, I got something extra in the form of ideas about ways to use blogs to drive business.

Here's how it happened: Waiting for my number to be called, I noticed something.  Fastened low on the wall near the door of the restaurant was a metal thing-a-ma-gig with coloring sheet handouts for kids to color.  That day's handout had an outlined picture of a snowman talking with some penguins.  There was space on the paper to fill in the child artist's name, age, and phone number, and a pocket in which to deposit the finished work.

My first thought was how simple, yet ingenious a tactic those coloring sheets were - keep the kids occupied while Mom or Dad finish up a conversation. (As a professional ghost blogger, I'm always alert for ways business bloggers can engage readers.) Then I realized there was even more to it than that - some kid was going to win the contest and get his picture posted up there and want to keep coming back to the restaurant, perhaps bringing Auntie or Grandma to see the beautiful job he'd done on the penguins! (One benefit of engaging blog post readers is they want to come back to your site, or bring your site to them in the form of an RSS.)

There was one thing missing about those coloring sheets, I realized. As so often happens, even the best of business ideas falls short in some detail when it comes to execution.  I saw snowmen and penguins, but nowhere on those coloring pages did I see the name, address, or phone number, or email of Illinois Street Food Emporium!  Coloring's a great way to keep the kids happy while they're in the restaurant (maybe they come back to show off their winning entry or claim their prize). But at least a third of the page was white space that might have been used for advertising.  Uh-oh - a business blog page with no Calls to Action! 

FutureNow's  Brendan Regan teaches business owners to "optimize a marketing outreach from the driving point to the landing page and on through to conversion." In other words, for any business blog to enjoy bottom-line success, there needs to be a smooth process, a navigation path,  that begins when a customer first becomes conscious of your existence to when you're closing a deal.  The CTA's, or Calls To Action on your blog page, even sometimes in the text of the blog post itself - need to be there and be square!

Blog To Win The Battle And The War

Wednesday, February 24, 2010 by Rhoda Israelov

"The best way to win an argument is to avoid it," advises Reginald Adkins in his Elemental Truths blog, admitting that "you could be perceived as a pushover who won't stand up for his beliefs."  Barring avoidance, Adkins offers tips to increase your chances for winning battles in which you've chosen to take part. 

Blogging for business, you'd have to say, is not necessarily an argumentative pursuit.  Yet, in a way, your company blog is your way of "arguing"" in favor of:

  • Your product (as compared to those of your competitors)
  • Your service (as compared to services offered by others)
  • Your point of view relating to your industry (contrasted with opposing viewpoints) 

So, carrying the example one step further, thinking of individual business blog posts as "battles" in an ongoing "war", it's certainly worth remembering that your goal as business owner is to keep winning hearts and gaining customers over the long run, and not just winning points today.

Several of Reginald Adkins' tips are actually very appropriate for bloggers:

Never accuse a person of being wrong. 
Think about a competitor or perhaps an online reader who's left a negative comment on your blog. "You should express your disagreement subtly," advises Adkins, "making it clear that your opinion diverges from theirs."

Let them talk. 
When it comes to presenting your side of an argument in your business blog, be sure to present the other side as fairly and completely as possible before explaining why your point of view is different.

Back it up. 
"Bring in concrete examples and supporting numbers to illustrate your point", says Adkins. Not only do statistics in a blog grab online visitors' attention, serve to demonstrate the extent of a problem or issue, but the numbers strengthen the credibility of the points your trying to make in that blog post.

Chill Bill. 
"Arguments can be emotional.  Be calm and don't let your feelings take over." The most important thing you have to sell in your business blog is you. The tone of your blog reassures readers they've come to a place where "nice guys and gals" live, people who play nice with competitors and customers alike.

Business branding expert Tony Fannin defines your brand as "an emotional collection of impressions your customers have about you." In your business blog, then, it's not winning the argument, but the way in which you won that counts!


 

Blog Post Titles: Let Me Count The Ways

Wednesday, February 17, 2010 by Rhoda Israelov

My children have children of their own, all older than kindergarten age, so what made me feel compelled to read that Indianapolis Star article about teaching kindergarteners? It was the number that aroused my curiosity: "9 Problems We Must Overcome".
 
The O Magazine title this month is "100 Things That Are (Actually) Getting Better". Somehow
I doubt that, minus the number 100, the title would have been as much of a grabber.  I know it was the number 100 that made me pause (It's hard, these days, to avoid the perception that a lot of things are actually getting worse, not better, and I just had to know what 100 things I might be missing!)

To freshen up blog post content, start with one idea about your product or service. Then try putting a number to it:

  • 2 Best Ways To Eliminate Unpleasant Room Odors…
  • 3 Discipline Problem Fixes to Try First….
  • 4 Simple Home Remedies for Headache…
  • 5 Home Décor Tips…
  • 6 Knottiest Financial Issues in a Marriage….

The point of the "lists", of course, is to demonstrate ways in which your product or service is different, and to provide valuable information that engages readers, helping them see you as a go-to guy or gal to solve their problem or fulfill their need.

Who's on your list? Ted Demopoulos suggests you ask yourself, referring to other blogs and online resources in your "space".  Listing different viewpoints or tips from others, then clarifying your own position is one way to make your blog be the go-to site. 
"4 Different Viewpoints on Rearing Money-wise Kids…" is somehow more enticing than just "Viewpoints on Rearing Money-wise Kids", wouldn't you agree?

To top off the positives of using numbers in blog post titles, at least some SEO experts believe bullet points and numbered lists earn "Brownie points" with search engines.

Just one more reason to count the ways…

 

Blog Post Titles: Let Me Count The Ways

Monday, February 15, 2010 by Rhoda Israelov

The Goodwill TV commercial sums it all up: there are four kinds of clothes in your closet, and if you give three of those to Goodwill, there will be room for the only kind worth keeping, meaning clothes you wear - and should. The other three categories:

  • Clothes you don't wear
  • Clothes you shouldn't wear
  • Clothes you can't wear

The Goodwill four categories of clothes closet contents might apply to creating content for your business blog posts as well.
 

Posts You SHOULD blog:

  • Telling how you skillfully solved a common problem for a consumer
  • Describing an unusual use or application for your product or service
  • What your business core values are and how your "corporate culture" reflects those
  • Explaining what's special about your product or service and what you're trying to achieve

 

Posts You DON'T Blog (enough of):
  • Employee posts, composed by real people actually doing the work and talking to your customers
  • Testimonials from customers and clients
  • True tales and anecdotes of problems solved and successes
  • Recognizing other bloggers and sources on your topic
Posts you CAN'T blog:

  • Topics too big and broad that are outside the scope of your expertise. Your business blog is there to win friends and do business, not convert the world.
  • Information that is not "on brand". 

 

Posts you SHOULDN'T blog:

  • Negatives against competitors - accentuate the positive about YOU.
  • Posts that are too long and wordy
  • Posts that are too technical for the average readers to relate to him/herself
  • Posts that are too general, with nothing new to add that showcases your expertise and unique viewpoint


Even experienced business bloggers need to clean out and reorganize their content "closets" in order to continue earning the "good will" of online searchers!

 


Going Social With Business Blogs

Friday, February 12, 2010 by Rhoda Israelov

“A (business) blog is a form of web communication allowing companies of all sizes to reach new audiences…, says Darrell Zhorsky. But, “allowing” and actually “reaching” are two different things, as many a new business owner discovers to his/her dismay. The reality, as ProBlogger’s Darren Rowse points out, is that “many blogs produce quality content that doesn’t get read.”

Once you taken the big step of getting consistent about posting content on your business blog (or hiring a professional ghost blogger like me to do it for you), the necessary next step is promoting your blog so people know it’s there.

One obvious, but often overlooked tactic, is simply letting your clients and customers know about the “Birth of the Blog”. The blog’s URL should occupy a place of honor on your business cards, flyers, ads, brochures, and website.  And, if there’s one particular post where you really “nailed” the message you want to convey about your business – print that one up on postcards or little laminated handouts to have handy at networking meetings, trade shows, letters or invoices.

Just created a new post? Tweet it, Facebook It, “Link it in”.  Or, capture one essential idea from your blog in a Tweet, linking back to the blog itself. As Jason Falls points out in The Beginners Guide To Promoting Your Blog “Twitter is a place to have conversations with people”, (not an advertising billboard).  That means you need to provide links to other interesting and informative sites, so that your blog becomes the “go-to” spot for information in your field.

In using social media to promote your blog, don’t forget to “stay on brand”, is a reminder offered by Entrepreneur. “Go ahead and announce sales and specials, but also give your fans, friends, and followers something more.”

Blogging is an incredible way to connect with customers  who are searching for exactly what you sell, what you do, and what you know about.  But they have to find you first.  Bottom line is:  you can’t just blog there – you have to promote your blog!

Three Little Blogging Bites From Whole Foods

Wednesday, February 10, 2010 by Rhoda Israelov

The larger a pepper, the less “hot”, is just one of the interesting tidbits I learned from a Whole Foods representative at the Indiana Health Expo the other day.  Peppers, in fact, could serve as a metaphor for blogs and websites, with shorter, “spicier” blog posts packing more immediacy than their longer, more formal website cousins. The typical website offers more detail and a broader spectrum of information on a company’s products and services, while blog posts focus on one idea with more intensity.

The first three ingredients listed on a food container, I learned at the Health Expo, are the most important, because ingredients are listed in descending order of how much of each is in the product. When it comes to business blogs, it’s important to use key words and phrases in the title and early in the text of each blog post. Those key words indicate to the search engines what the main idea of the post is going to be.

I found the Whole Foods presentation particularly engaging because it offered information I’d never heard before.  Offering information that is new to the typical online reader is a key principle of business blogging. The Health Expo speaker captured my attention with information new to me. I learned about a food called Quinoa (pronounced “keen wa”), which is a rice substitute high in dietary fiber, and about Greek Yogurt. New information is a winner for business blogging.  If you can’t offer brand-new information, your unique approach or “slant” shows searchers you’re far from run-of-the mill.

One of Suzanne Gunelius’ six tips on turning a business blog into a sales tool is “Provide Exclusive Information and Tips.”  A great example of that is a blog I read called Breathe Easy, which talks about about dog food. The blogger warns that comparing ingredients can be tricky, because, although two labels may have the same ingredient name, there can be a world of difference between two brands.” The recommendation is for buyers to look for the words “human grade” on the dog food label.  That’s the kind of valuable and detailed advice that distinguishes “human grade” blogs from the pack!

Do You Have Ringing In Your Blog Post Titles?

Friday, February 5, 2010 by Rhoda Israelov

Between Shakespeare's Juliet asking "What's in a name?" and father-of-advertising David Ogilby's emphasis on headlines, there's simply no contest when it comes to blogging for business - titles matter! There are two basic reasons titles matter so much in blogs:

  • For search - key words and phrases, especially when used in blog post titles, help search engines make the match between online searchers' needs and what your business or professional practice has to offer.
  • For reader engagement - after you've been "found", you've still gotta "get read".  

In my magazine reading this week, I came across titles that illustrate just two of the many ways to make titles "pop":

The title of an advertisement in USA Weekend asks the question: "Do You Have Constant Ringing In Your Ear?"

If ear ringing is, in fact, a problem for the searcher, there will be a "Bingo!" I've come to the right place" response. But even if I somehow arrived at this site looking for, say, hearing aids or even diamond earrings, the title has an immediacy that grabs my attention, perhaps causing me to reflect, " You know, sometimes I DO have a sort of ringing sensation…"

The concept of asking readers if they're grappling with an issue or a need that you not only know about, but which you're accustomed to helping solve - that's perfect for the headline of a business blog post.

One title on the cover of O Magazine is a "grabber" in a different way: "100 Things That Are (Actually) Getting Better".

This title passes Ogilby's "acid test" by making you wish you'd thought about many things actually getting better, because most people suffer from the perception that a lot of things are getting worse nowadays.  The title's not only refreshing - it arouses curiosity. (Are there really that many things getting better?  What have I missed?)

One thing Indianapolis small business consultant Lorraine Ball thinks is getting better is blog writing. Ball attributes the improvement to Twitter and other social media, which focus on titles short enough to "Tweet".

Truth is, no clever or even Tweet-able title can substitute for well-written, relevant content in the blog post itself, content that provides valuable information to your readers. But, in order for blog marketing to lead searchers to become buyers of your products and services, your stuff has got to get read!

Sorry, Juliet.  When it comes to business blog posts, the answer to the question "What's in a name?" is EVERYTHING!

 



 

New Blog Content Ideas Straight From The Vintage Store

Friday, January 15, 2010 by Rhoda Israelov

Tucked inside the Murphy Building in Indianapolis is a vintage clothing store called IndySwank, and tucked inside the Indianapolis Star account of an interview with IndySwank’s owner are some great content ideas for business blogs.

Business bloggers often confide they have trouble continually coming up with fresh ideas for their blog posts and finding news ways to talk about the products and services they offer. The IndySunday Interviews Someone You Should Know article poses eight questions answered by Jennifer Rice Von Deylen, owner of IndySwank.  As a professional ghost blogger and business blogging trainer, I realized that answering those very questions could make for terrific blog content for any business.


HOW DO YOU GET THE STOCK FOR YOUR STORE?
If your business sells products, where do those products originate?  Do you create them? What sources have you chosen and why? Talking about your product allows you to showcase your own expertise in your field, your own outlook, and the ways in which your product is unique in the marketplace.

HOW DID YOU NAME THE STORE?
Rice Von Deylen explains that “swank” means really, really cool, adding her opinion that “We don’t take enough pride in who we are.” What does the name of your product and of your business say about the outcomes you hope to bring to customers?

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE?
In what facet of your industry have you chosen to focus your business efforts? Why?  How does the way you run the business make you different from your competitors?  In other words, what’s your style?  Rice Von Deylen’s answer to the question: “Urban.  I still try to be sexy and attractive, but not like Britany Spears.” Use your blog posts to help readers get the feeling they know the “you” in your business!

HOW CAN PEOPLE DISCOVER THEIR OWN STYLE?
Offer information in your blog posts that helps readers gain knowledge.  Customers who feel well-informed feel empowered to make buying decisions! Don’t for a moment be afraid of making your blogsite the “go to” place for information in your field.

Jennifer Rice Von Deylen's advice is perfect for business owners trying to promote their products and services through blog marketing: “For direction, take what you’re comfortable with and try to exaggerate it.”

I find it hard to imagine any better way to arrive at your own “signature style” for your business blog posts!

 

Who's Blogging About Your Blog Topic?

Wednesday, January 13, 2010 by Rhoda Israelov

I almost didn’t go to see the movie “Nine”. The Indianapolis Star gave the film only two stars, quoting Roger Moore’s review in the Orlando Sentinel: “How can a movie starring six Academy Award-winning actors be such a bore?”  

Thank goodness, I caught that interview of the “Nine” cast on “Larry King Live”.  King said the film was wonderful, and, after hearing the actors share their experiences, I knew this was going to be a very special film I absolutely needed to see. (It was – I’d see it again!)

No need to worry - I’m not about to change the topic of this Say It For You blog from creating content for successful blog marketing into movie reviews!  What I am trying to express is that readers can be influenced in favor of or against something with relative ease.  It’s important that you know what is being said by other bloggers on your business topic, or even what might be posted about your business in particular.

I’m really talking about something bigger than just finding and controlling any negative reviews about your company’s product or service., Consistently combing the blogosphere to see what’s being said that relates to you is a great idea, no doubt, and your business blog posts are tools that allow you to put your own “spin” on any messages the public might be receiving from competitors or critics.

I’m talking about more than using analytics to track your blogs most popular posts and who’s reading your blog, although tracking and measuring results is a terrific tool to help you keep making the blog more and more effective as a marketing tactic for your business.

I just don’t want you, or anybody, to miss your “movie” the way I almost missed seeing “Nine”. I want you to go beyond the question I always pose to new Say It For You business blogging clients “Would you find you?” to become the in-depth interviewer Larry King was for me.

Once searchers have read your blog post, no matter what any other blogger or newspaper columnist was saying on your subject, they’re going to know your company is one they absolutely need to get to know!


 

A Merry/Happy To All, With Thanks For Letting Us "Say It For You"!

Friday, December 25, 2009 by Rhoda Israelov

Every holiday is a marker, however you look at it, and it's hard to resist tallying along with the toasts.

In my introductory blog post, "How Say It For You Was Born", I posed a question: "What qualities make for a great ghost blogger?" I put "drill sergeant discipline" near the top of the list, explaining that web rankings are based at least partially on frequency of posting new content, and that blogging must be kept up faithfully if "winning search" is one of the business' goals.

I think it's fair to give myself an "A" in the discipline department.  I, together with my contract writers, turned out close to 1,000 different original blog posts this calendar year without ever missing a deadline. In addition, Say It For You produced copy for a couple hundred web pages, press releases, brochures, letters to the editor, and newsletter articles.

This year, blog content development training was added to  the Say It For You menu of services, for business owners who, along with their employees, want to create their own blog content. During 2009, I gave six talks on "Blogging For Business" where the audience at each numbered more than one hundred.

This has been a year made rich through meeting so many new friends in the social media community. Special thanks go to continuing mentors Chris Baggott (Compendium Blogware), Ryan Cox (Schindigs), Ken Zweigel (Drive), Tony Fannin (Be Branded),  Mike Semon (Spartan Technologies), Damon Richards (Port to Port Consulting), and Kathleen Haley (KSH Marketing). I could never have come this far as a professional ghost blogger and blog trainer. without your support and expertise.

Another quality that makes for a great ghost blogger is a "third ear".  A ghost, I explained, needs not only to hear what clients want to say, but to pick up on their unique style of expression.  "The goal," I wrote, "is to speak your message, in your '"voice', to your customers..  A good ghost blogger should, her/himself, be neither seen nor heard."

To all our wonderful clients, thanks, each of you, for "letting us in" to the dreams and hopes you hold for your business or professional practice.  Thanks for devoting careful thought to the question I pose to each new blogging client:

If you had only 8-10 words to describe why you're passionate about what you what you have, what you do, and what you know about, what would those words be?

2009 tallies and toasts - it's been a privilege and it's been "real"!


 

Don'ts For Blogs: Too Much, Too Fast, Too Self-Conscious

Tuesday, December 22, 2009 by Rhoda Israelov

Indianapolis Business Journal technology columnist Tim Altom isn't a fan of "Power Point fashionistas" who use all the animation trickery the program can provide.  "Too much, too fast, too self-conscious" is how he describes many of the presentations he's had to sit through.

I couldn't agree more, as I brought out in "Blogs, Like PowerPoint Presentations, Can Be Boons or Banes". I suggested thinking of each blog post as one slide in a PowerPoint.

Even Robert Gaskins, co-creator of PowerPoint, explains that the technology was never intended for showing an entire proposal - just a quick summary, and that relationship is precisely applicable to a business' blog posts relative to the corporate website.

Business bloggers would do well to pay heed to several of Altom's suggestions about effective use of Power Point slides:

1.   Slides should be used to set the stage for a conversationSlides.work fine if they're meant only to cue and remind.
Blog posts can cue and remind as well, with each post focused on just one new piece of information, a unique approach to a subject, an anecdote, a myth busted or a problem solved.

2.   Altom put together charts from a client's own data, but in ways the client had not thought of, revealing things the customer hadn't seen before.
One excellent use of a business blog post is to do the same, presenting a new approach to familiar information.

3.   Most speeches can do just fine without slides. But there are occasions when you're not able to dialogue…
In fact, blogging for business is exactly such an "occasion". Pull marketing is all about attracting attention from the right kind of strangers, those unaware of the name of your business, who arrive at your blog because they are searching for something that relates to what you do. The dialogue cannot begin until those strangers find you online. 
 

In online marketing, then, what you cannot do is follow Altom's ideal of "teaching naked", i.e. without technology).  You can, on the other hand, avoid Altom's Power Point "Don'ts".

  • Too much: (keep blog posts short and focused on one idea)
  • Too fast: (keep posts conversational and informal in tone)
  • Too self-conscious: (keep it about them and their needs, yet don't be reluctant       to include calls to action in your blog posts)

Power blog posts can be the best PowerPoint slides of all!


 


Don't be stupid by cutting marketing budgets

Monday, December 21, 2009 by Tony Fannin
by Tony Fannin, president, BE Branded

I know that in today's economic environment, most businesses are cutting back in many areas. Unfortunately, the first area to get cut is marketing and advertising. Excuse my French, but "How stupid is that?" Do you really think that telling less people that you exist, what value you bring, or how they can benefit from your company will really help you grow or increase your revenue? Do you really believe that by cutting back on marketing your products/services will increase business? In effect what you are saying is "lets put less gas in the car so we can drive further and save money."

If you believe that marketing and advertising is not the life blood of your business then, I must say that you don't know business. Either that or you're just a commodity, and if you are, I feel sorry for you because you're on your way to becoming extinct. By cutting your marketing budget, you're telling your customers that since they know you so well, you don't need to market to them any more because they'll buy from you anyway. You are also letting the world know that you have more than enough customers, so don't bother trying our products. If that's the case,  you are more superior at business and I should pay you tuition just to learn at your feet.

We've all either have heard or have said, "You need to do more with less." I will agree that there is often fat and inefficiencies that can be cut. But once you've gotten rid of all the waste, then you're cutting into meat and bone. In the end  you'll be squeezing out any real value your company may have to where if affects your end product. And once that happens, your customers will begin to slip away. Then you begin a harsh cycle of falling revenues and cutting budgets even more, resulting in less people are exposed to your brand, resulting in less revenues, resulting in cutting budgets, and on and on. Financial physics will tell you that you can only cut so much before you start affecting your brand, exposure, and image (or the lack there of). By having the "do more will less" mantra, you are setting your company up for failure. Over time, businesses such as Hardees and products like Sony's e-reader have felt the pain of the lack of marketing budget. Hardees rested on their reputation for great breakfast. They felt they no longer needed to market or advertise. Surprise, surprise, they went from the U.S. #2 burger chain to almost bankrupt in 3 years. The Sony e-reader was the first and best e-reader in the market. They felt their lead was so substantial, they cut back on their marketing. Surprise, the Kindle came along and kicked its ass. Amazon put a ton of marketing might behind the Kindle launch and it wasn't long until Sony was playing catch up.

I understand that when the economy gets tight and companies need to conserve capital to make it through the downturns, but come on, cutting marketing budget and STILL expecting growth is down right stupid. How can you expect splashy results when you only dip your toe in the water? Eventually, a competitor will come along, pour marketing might behind their brands and leave you standing still wondering where it all went wrong. The day you begin to cut marketing is the day your competitors make up ground and possibly surpass you. Their continuous marketing efforts will snag your customers because  you don't exist anymore in their hearts and mind. Out of sight, out of mind and heart. Brands are easily forgotten without consistent reminders that you exist and that you bring value to their lives.

So, I ask all marketers that when you are planning next year's budget, keep in mind if you're standing still, you're already behind.

www.bebranded.net
317-797-7226

Brand Tiger Woods

Saturday, December 19, 2009 by Tony Fannin
by Tony Fannin, president, BE Branded

This blog is a bit different, though, in the end, it is about branding. The news about Tiger Woods is all over the media. His transgressions are becoming more and more public. His image and personal brand is taking a hit. Almost all of the marketers who are using Tiger (the brand) in their marketing campaigns have gone dark. In fact, there's been only 1 ad to air on TV and that's for Gillette. This is such a drastic dip from a few weeks ago when you couldn't watch or read anything for a length of time before seeing an ad with Tiger Woods as the pitchman. I know some believe that his personal business is his own private business and it should stay that way. I don't agree with that viewpoint. Here's why:

• Tiger Woods is a brand 
– Tiger gave up the "personal" part of himself when he decided to market brand Tiger and sell that brand to other marketers. When Tiger signed his first endorsement deal, he became a public brand. As with other brands, we as consumers, expect the ones we believe in and buy from to always fulfill their promise and to never do anything that is contrary to what that it stands for. Personal brand is no different than a company brand.

• Brand Tiger affects his partners
 – Once he agreed to represent another brand and accepted a fee, he is responsible on how is actions affect his partners. You are judged by the company you keep. It's no different when two brands decide to partner in a joint promotion or marketing campaign. For example, if McDonald's offers a toy from Mattel, but the plastic parts contain a chemical that exposes children to high levels of toxins, McDonald's takes the lion's share of the hit in the public's eyes while Mattel escapes with minor damage.(This example is completely hypothetical.) Brand Tiger does affect his partners, so he is no longer afforded the luxury of keeping personal issues private because his issues becomes his partners' issues.

• Tiger Woods' actions affects his value
 – When that happens, you know you're a brand. When you're a brand, you're actions have value, both positive and negative. In 2008 Tiger Woods made about $12 mil. playing golf and about $110 mil. in endorsements. This also has a direct correlation to his advertising partners. Their value rides on his actions as well. That is another reason why his personal actions are open for review, especially by his partners.

I don't wish any misfortune on Tiger Woods. From hearing opinions from various people about whether his personal business should be off limits by the media, it got me thinking about whether is that really true or not. I my opinion, an individual gives up the privacy card when they decide to sell their personal brand to other partners. As soon as you hit the marketplace as a brand, you are treated like one and held to the same expectations and judgement as other brands, corporate or otherwise. All brands must live their brand promise 24/7/365 or you will lose one of the most important thing you've been building over the years, credibility.

www.bebranded.net
317-797-7226

Quit marketing to yourself

Wednesday, December 16, 2009 by Tony Fannin
by Tony Fannin, president, BE Branded

We've all seen them. Advertising and marketing that leaves you with a "huh?" instead of a "wow". From my experience, too many marketers try to communicate the wrong audience. They do this by mostly trying to please themselves. They act like "they" are the market. They make judgements from strategic (the big idea) to the tactic (color of the background) based on what "they" like instead of what will my customers will be attracted to. For example, men thinking their brand of humor relates to a woman. There's nothing more stupid than thinking "stupid guy humor" really appeals to a woman enough to check out your product. Holly Buchanan has a great blog and example about this.http://marketingtowomenonline.typepad.com/blog/what_were_they_thinking/

My advice, quit making marketing judgements based on your personal tastes. Often, I tell my clients, "I know if I thrill your customers, you will be thrilled. " My true client is my client's customers, not the CMO who hired me. Unfortunately, too many marketers forget that marketing and advertising is for their customers, not for them or their spouses or their best friends or their secretary. (These people only count if they are truly your customers.) I know this is common sense, but unfortunately, many forget that. They make it personal. As the saying goes, "It's not personal, it's just business."

Where it should become personal is making a genuine connection with your customers. It's not about what you like, but what is meaningful to them. Sorry, it's hardly ever about you when it comes to marketing to your customers. It is your customers who you need to please and attract, not your own style or tastes.

I view it this way. Integrated marketing and corporate branding are our areas of expertise. When it comes to accounting, law, or even office repairs, we hire professionals who are great in those areas. We don't tell them how to do their job or micromanage. We only share with them what outcome we want and let them perform at their best. The same goes with your marketing agency. You should set goals and expectations, but not micromanage to the point where you have executive level people spending time on whether the headline should be blue or red. There are bigger decisions to be made on the strategic level. Most of the time, you'll end up pleasing yourself, but not your customers. Now, if you're not getting the results you need, then hire a marketing agency that "gets" your customers. You're great at making the widget. Marketing agencies are great at reaching and connecting with customers. If you understand how to leverage your marketing agency the right way, you'll not only get the results you want, but you'll get their best work because you've allowed them to do what they are good at on your behalf without getting in their way.

To keep from producing marketing that makes your customers go "WTF?", don't rely on using yourself as the measuring stick. It's your customers who you want to say, "That's exactly how I feel. They get me."

www.bebranded.net
317-797-7226

Blogs Help Customers Tell Themselves The Story Of Your Brand

Monday, December 14, 2009 by Rhoda Israelov
Presidential politics is about storytelling, says John Harris of Yahoo!News, commenting that Barack Obama and his team won the 2008 election because they were better storytellers than the opposition.

What’s more, adds Harris, “Presented with a vivid storyline, voters naturally tend to fit every new event or piece of information into a picture that’s already neatly framed in their minds.

That’s the way it works in business marketing, too, say Scott and Birk Cooper and Fritz Gruntzner, authors of Tips & Traps for Marketing Your Business. “Consumers create their own associations and stories about your brand.”

“Customers don’t want to feel like they are being told a brand story.  They want to tell themselves the story.  They want to be a part of the story,” is Coopers’ and Gruntzner’s advice to business owners. When it comes to blogs, the Tips & Traps authors recommend using blogs to tell a story. “Engage readers of your blog with fascinating story-like entries.”

In their book The Hero and The Outlaw, Carol Pearson and Margaret Mark demonstrate that brands telling a single archetypal story have better long-term financial performance.  Commenting on this book, Coopers and Gruntzner  say most companies they work with are guilty of telling either no story or of trying to tell multiple stories.

“Always try to create a campaign rather than one ad,” Tips & Traps teaches. “You know you have a great advertising or communication idea when you can easily think of the next ad and the next and the next.” (I can’t help thinking that campaigns are precisely what corporate blogs are!) 

According to Coopers and Gruntzner, the goal in blogging for business is “creating loyal customers who have an emotional engagement with your brand.” Each new blog post is the latest chapter in the ongoing story you tell in your blog. The authors remind us that these customers are creating their own associations with your brand.  “The best you can hope to do is guide this process by giving them clues and by helping them feel something for your brand.”

Marketing integration trumps online only

Monday, December 14, 2009 by Tony Fannin
by Tony Fannin, president, BE Branded

It's been interesting to read some of the information that's beginning to come in about the affects the online world has on the principles of marketing. So far, it's not the "new world order" as some predict. Curiously, the results and stories are showing that integration of marketing tactics is more effective than just going online alone.

In a research study done by Magid Advisors (a research and business consulting firm) found that the majority of multitaskers – those who watch TV and are online at the same time – ended up overwhelmingly noticing and watching TV ads over internet ads.

Integrated marketing is becoming the key factor in business success. It's not good enough to be just in one place. It's not wise to plow your whole budget into online tactics or traditional marketing. To really understand where to spend and how much to spend, you first must understand your customers. Where your customers "hang out" is where your brand should hang out. The "everyone's doing it" mentality is dangerous. That's something you should have learned in your youth (smoking, drugs, drinking, etc.) This mentality has yet to deliver a positive ending.

Honda, for example, has tried an "experiment". They quietly launched a Facebook page titled "Everybody knows somebody who loves a Honda." It encouraged visitors to post up their stories and their friend's stories about how they love their Honda. It was first supported with a light push of online advertising. It did get quite a bit of attention with just online marketing. Then Honda added TV to the mix with :15 and :30 spots. The campaign got a huge boost. The result was Honda added over 1.2 million fans. An additional site was added to the strategy called Love.Honda.com. This linked back to the Facebook page. Mr. Peyton, CMO of Honda, was very surprised to see what tactics brought what results since they could track which media was generating the login spikes. For example, 50,000 people would sign up after one day of TV ads on an NFL game. "TV isn't dead, but rather an adjunct to community-based marketing…", said Mr. Peyton.

Many marketers are experimenting. We are experimenting. I don't believe anyone has any real answers yet. To me that's the fun part. You have to be smart, creative, and bold in this new marketing world. I don't think the timid will fair very well because by the time you think you have something figured out, there's something new that changes the game. I believe you must be comfortable with being uncomfortable.

One truth I do believe remains, core marketing principles still apply. Regardless of form (online, offline, or somewhere in between), we are still communicating with real people and marketing principles have a long track record in understanding how to effectively communicate with people in a real, emotional way, no matter the form. And that's the beauty of it. They still apply no matter what new killer app comes along. This gives you a foundation to base your marketing and advertising decisions on. A strong foundation will support a wealth of experimentation.

www.bebranded.net
317-797-7226

Cause marketing

Monday, December 7, 2009 by Tony Fannin
by Tony Fannin, president, BE Branded

Retailers have taken a beating over the last 12-18  months and this holiday season didn't look much better. Many people just don't have the money to spend. To compound the problem, those who do, feel guilty and don't want to be seen as over indulging on conspicuous consumption, so they just hold on to their money or spend less. What to do? Retailers have found a way to do good while selling more.

Instead of asking you to donate a $1 for a particular charity, many retailers have attached a charity to your purchase. If you buy a Wii at Target, you also are donating to St. Jude Children's Hospital. If you buy a tie for dear ol' dad you are contributing to a child's joy though the Make A Wish Foundation via Macy's. Cause marketing is allowing consumers to spend money AND feel good about themselves. Consumers are responding by buying. This gives them a logical reason on why to go ahead and buy the new Jay-Z headphones because they'll be helping the Toys for Tots Foundation. Consumers also like the fact they are not asked to "donate a $1 or $5" for a charity and feel guilty for not adding that extra money to their already large tab. They are giving just by buying.

Cause marketing is not new, but it has become a tactic that is working this holiday season. The key is that it must make sense to your brand and it must be genuine. We all know when a company is just "using" a charity for selfish reasons. The goodwill gesture must be in line with your brand position. It must support the core reason of why you exist as a business. The critical factor is to find alignment with your brand and the brand of the charity.

Marketers also need to create a win-win-win situation. The customer must win by feeling good about their purchase. The charity must win by gaining financially and awareness. The marketer must win by extending their core brand. This happens when the cause is a natural extension of the brand promise. (ToysRUs = Toys for Tots).

A note to charities and not-for-profits: don't be too self-righteous about working with marketers and believing consumerism is bad. It is the success of business that allows for corporate funds to flow your way. It is the rise in profits that raises the level of all boats in the harbor, so to speak. Embrace business. In fact, I know of several national and global charities who have brought in former CEOs of business to help them run their organizations like a business. The end result is more financial gain to help those they serve. The more the profits, the more people that are affected.

As long as you keep your brand consistent, cause marketing can be a great tactic to extend your brand and to show your customers a new way of seeing that brand come to life in a meaningful way. Just because you're trying to do good, doesn't mean you abandon sound marketing principles.

www.bebranded.net
317-797-7226

Blogging's Big Four

Monday, December 7, 2009 by Rhoda Israelov

The old saying about a chain being only as strong as its weakest link is certainly true of blogs.  Each time you publish a post, that post becomes the newest link in your blog chain. Actually, it becomes the first link in your blog chain, because all your posts remain on the Internet, appearing in reverse chronological order.

The chain concept is the secret behind blogging’s effectiveness in helping your company or professional practice get found.  “With blogs you’re casting a super-large net of keywords,” explains Chris Baggott of Compendium Blogware. “By nature, blogs have more of the positive variables that search engines are looking   for when compared to a website,” he adds, citing four blog qualities:


1. Content-rich
Each blog post should offer expert information and advice in a professional, easy-to-understand way.  Visual aids such as the font you use, bolding, italics, photos, and charts can all add interest, but the main job of business blog posts is to assure visitors they’ve come to the right place, and to tell them why that’s so.

2.  Specific
Arriving at your blog, Web searchers are on a fact-finding mission, looking for information about what you do, what you sell, and what you know about.  Give them “Just-the-facts-Ma’am” satisfaction.

3.  Relevant
Keywords and phrases in the title and in the body of your blog post help search engines make as close a match as possible between the question and the answer, the problem and the solution, or the need and the product or service. Keep those “key people” – your blog visitors – in mind whenever you post!

4.  Personal
“Though we live with digital technology, it’s still an analog world,” comments Tony Fannin of Be Branded. Great marketing, he points out, is still about humans talking to humans, and blogs must give readers a sense of real people talking. (The essence of my work as a professional ghost blogger is to capture your personality and your message and express that to your customers and clients.) 

Before you hit “Publish” or “Submit”, give each of your blog posts the once-over to be sure that newest link in your blog chain meets the “Big Four” test!



 

To rebrand or not to rebrand

Friday, December 4, 2009 by Tony Fannin
by Tony Fannin, president, BE Branded

Rebranding. Should you ever do it? When should you consider it? This could be one of the most complicated endeavors a company could take on. It's not unusual for a rebrand to be harder than developing the original brand.

Here are a few points:

1. Too many companies believe their current brands stands for a superior experience 
– According to Bain & Co (a firm that helps companies with corporate strategies, performance, and organizational structure) over 80% of CEO's believe their brands stand for a superior experience over their competitors, but only 8% of their customers agree. This is called "The Brand Gap". Can they really be that wrong about themselves? It's difficult to see yourself as you really are in the marketplace. Brutal honesty is absolutely required for a successful rebranding.

2. Look close to see what you are losing
 – By not realizing what your true brand is in the marketplace, you could be losing hundreds-of-thousands or millions of dollars because of myopia. You need to close the "brand gap" by doing one of two things, bring your customers closer to what you want them to think of you (marketing and advertising push & pull) or you move closer to what your customers want you to be (rebrand and then market your new you). Either way, every day you delay in bridging that gap, you are losing dollars.

3. Rebranding isn't cheap
 – It does take a significant investment. You are looking to reinvent yourself into a more relevant, meaningful company to your customers. Before you forego the investment, you'll need to make sure you've weighed the consequences of inaction carefully. It's more than just what you are losing, it's also about what you are missing out on. This double-whammy shouldn't be taken lightly. Don't let your ego or being "cheap" get in the way or your company could die a death of becoming irrelevant in a very short time. By not making the investment, you could lose it all.

4. Rebranding is more than a paint job
 – It's not just a new logo, new colors, and new fonts. It's about a core change within the company. The same principles of branding still apply to rebranding. The difference is you are needing to overcome a past to set up a brighter future. Everyone from within in the company and your customers should "feel" the new direction and experience the new commitment. Rebranding is about becoming more relevant to your customers in a meaningful way that makes their lives better or richer, because your old brand has failed to do either.

Brands are valuable. That's why successful brands are managed from the top (i.e. Apple, Starbucks, Google, Walmart). Brand saturates all departments all converging at the CEO position. This is one of their most important jobs. CEO's are paid to guard and enhance the brand to their stakeholders and customers. Brands are actions. Without action, brands never come to life.

If you haven't been active in managing your brand, you could be doing more harm than good without realizing it. Can you really afford to become a has-been?

www.bebranded.net
317-797-7226

Twitter is a great way to discipline your brand

Thursday, December 3, 2009 by Tony Fannin
by Tony Fannin, president, BE Branded

140 characters. That's all you get. It's such a wonderful way to force marketers to get to the heart of their brand and their core message. All too often, I hear and see companies try to pitch their services and products by giving the prospect a whole run down of everything they do, including giving them the kitchen sink (who said I wanted a kitchen sink?). A company should be able to tell the world why they exist and what value they provide in 140 characters. This is truly knowing who you are and what you stand for, which is the essence of your brand. It's not about the long list of the "stuff" you do.

Twitter also forces you to be interesting, entertaining, and have valuable information. Look at it like a social party. No one wants a bad hang. You know, the person who either has nothing to say or talks too much, most of which is useless babble. Interesting. Entertaining. Valuable. These are the very qualities your brand and your marketing should have anyway. If you do a great job at delivering these three qualities, people will want to hang out with you more and ask you questions. This gives you permission to talk to me more about what you have to offer my life.

Another quality that Twitter teaches is listening and then engaging. Though this is sales 101, too many marketers have forgotten the fine art of listening before speaking. Without insight about your customers, that they will freely give to you if you ask, all you do is sound like a prepared speech. How dull. Once you listen, then engage with interesting, entertaining, and valuable information. This applies to every marketing channel you participate in, both online, social, and traditional media. Don't let your marketing be a bad hang. Otherwise your brand will be the one standing alone in the corner.

In the spirit of Twitter, that's all.

www.bebranded.net
317-797-7226