Most companies spend a great deal of time, effort and money fostering a brand for themselves, including everything from logo design to mission statement to value proposition. In fact, it can be argued that the most valuable asset any company has is its brand.
But branding isn't necessarily limited to businesses. With a grueling job market awaiting college students entering their final year, enterprising young people might do well to create a brand for their most important product -- themselves.
According to my colleague Denise Williams, East Coast manager and director of strategic marketing for Goodman Marketing Partners, a multi-channel, direct response marketing agency in Philadelphia, personal branding is a powerful tactic for setting yourself apart in the eyes of prospective employers. And if you do it well enough, your brand could remain with you throughout your career.
"Branding yourself is a matter of boiling down who you are and what your values are, and then being true to that. In other words, living it," says Williams, who also serves as president of the Philadelphia Direct Marketing Association. "For example, going out of your way to volunteer or lend assistance to other people, rather than always looking out for Number One. Or always maintaining your cool in a crisis or when the chips are down...these are traits that will not only serve you well, but will precede you through the door."
Like a corporation laboring over its mission statement, branding yourself might be a time-consuming process, requiring a thorough assessment of who you are, who you want to be, what principles you hold most dear, and what your strengths and weaknesses are. "Then determine how to make your strengths part of your daily life, while minimizing your weaknesses," says Williams. It also helps to choose someone whose "brand" you admire and try to emulate him or her, or even enter into a mentoring relationship with that individual.
Williams, who speaks to students about marketing themselves whenever she has the opportunity, offers the following five suggestions for building your most important brand:
Know Thyself
Understand what motivates you and the kind of environment in which you will thrive. Know what your goals are and create the strategies that will get you there. Every brand has a mission and a way to fulfill that mission. This is true for your own personal brand. Your education, your work, your affiliations, where you network, where and how you converse online, and the people with whom you associate, will define your brand.
Stay Positive
Negativity kills positive people. Negativity will kill a brand. Stay positive and be viewed as a healthy, positive professional, one that makes each and every person feel important. It's not always easy but worthwhile in that positive people are sought after to lead, manage and share their knowledge and energies. Learn to bring out the best in people. Be known for it.
Get Involved
Don't sit on the sidelines. There are a variety of professional and community-related affiliations that not only need volunteers or hire interns but provide networking. Selfish networking to hawk products is not what we are talking about. Getting involved and volunteering your time tells others that you care. People like people who care about things other than themselves. Reap the satisfaction of getting involved and helping others.
Maintain Reasonable Expectations of Others
Some people ask for help of others one too many times. It's OK to ask for help, but know when to stop. No one is going to get the job for you. No one is going to jump through hoops for you unless they are inclined to do so. Business is a give and take - better to be a giver than a taker. Better to be owed than owing. Once you are known as a taker, you've shot yourself in the foot. Ask for guidance but don't ask for too much. Find a couple of people you trust and respect, and look to them for mentoring.
Remember To Thank
Referrals, personal contacts, introductions, and invitations should never go without a thank you. If someone has helped your initiatives in any way, be sure to thank them the old fashioned way. Yes, it's 2009, but a text is not sufficient, and an e-mail is just OK. Send a note. A gift shows real appreciation. Make your brand an appreciative one.
I couldn't have said it better myself!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
Paperless communication is NOT a green initiative
I love direct mail. I like the feel of it in my hands. I love a brilliantly crafted package that has been perfectly targeted to ME based on my habits, life stage, or past behavior. I gaze lovingly at gorgeous visuals beautifully reproduced as if by magic, from masses of ink dots soaked into paper.
I admire, no revel, in a clever headline, that guides me to a story laid out in front of me. If executed properly, that story creates a desire for the product or service, and guides me to visit a web site, call a toll-free number, or (gasp!) return a reply device in a postage-paid envelope.
And I know I’m not the only one.
But I have been told — repeatedly — that I am in a dying industry.
Email, they shout gleefully, has replaced direct mail. “The USPS will be out of business soon!” one digital designer recently pronounced.
Those of you who have read my blogs know I believe that email has a short life span as a viable be-all-end-all marketing channel. So I won’t rehash that argument.
But the whole “green” message around paperless communication, is really making me lose my cool.
“Stop killing trees!” they cry. (They look at me with disgust, as if I’m an axe murderer.)
The recent Kaiser Permanente radio campaign caught my attention because it takes the whole “paper-less” concept and exploits it as their own contribution to re-greening America. It brags that KP keeps all their medical records electronically, thereby saving trees and “proving” how green they are.
Give me a break.
While I applaud KP for storing my health record electronically so they can quickly and easily access it when I’m lying unconscious on that gurney, my B+ blood gushing over my bloodied body, you’re NOT doing it so you can be part of the green revolution.
For some reason, there is a belief among consumers that the pulp and paper industry blithely attacks any forested area they can get their hands on, and mows down 100-year old redwoods. But here’s the real truth: The big paper manufacturers grow trees for the specific purpose of cutting them down to produce paper. Then, they plant new trees to replace them and start the cycle all over again. If all consumers would take their paper and hand it over to be reused, it would be -- over and over again. And that, my friends, is called recycling.
So why doesn’t the paper industry stand up for itself? Why aren’t they spending money educating the masses on the ‘inconvenient truth’ – the reality behind using trees to make paper? Good question!
But hey KP, here’s the question for you: At your gigantic data centers where you store your patient records electronically, how much energy do you consume keeping those mainframes humming? You had to install new computers in every KP room in which the patient comes in contact, in order to retrieve patient records. How much extra energy does that consumer? And how many times does the doctor hit “print” so I can get a copy of that report on my gallbladder? When I leave KP, I get a printed record of my visit. And I receive a postcard in the mail reminding me of my next appointment. Need I go on?
Businesses think they’re going green by refusing to print their collateral any more – “we’re saving trees,” they note with pride.
Instead, they push customers to their websites where the onus is on the consumer to download the information. After they do, they’ll do what all people do: Use their own printer toner and paper to print the material. Then, they’ll use a highlighter to note the salient points… attach a sticky with a notation to pass along to other colleagues, or simply stuff it in their briefcase to read on the commute ride home. Later, they’ll file it and return to review it again and again when they need to refer to a detail.
Net-net is that the business has made it harder for me to consume information about them on my terms and it has increased MY cost (and my time).
I’m not saying that organizations need to print millions of pieces of collateral, but get off the “I’m saving trees” bandwagon. Help your customers and prospects to better understand your products and benefits by delivering information in the form best consumed by your target – whether it be digitally or on paper.
Not everyone wants (or reads) emails. And not everyone wants to spend time on your poorly laid out website trying to dig to find the information they want.
I’m willing to kill another tree if it helps me communicate better to my target and it's helpful to their sales consideration process. Are you?
I admire, no revel, in a clever headline, that guides me to a story laid out in front of me. If executed properly, that story creates a desire for the product or service, and guides me to visit a web site, call a toll-free number, or (gasp!) return a reply device in a postage-paid envelope.
And I know I’m not the only one.
But I have been told — repeatedly — that I am in a dying industry.
Email, they shout gleefully, has replaced direct mail. “The USPS will be out of business soon!” one digital designer recently pronounced.
Those of you who have read my blogs know I believe that email has a short life span as a viable be-all-end-all marketing channel. So I won’t rehash that argument.
But the whole “green” message around paperless communication, is really making me lose my cool.
“Stop killing trees!” they cry. (They look at me with disgust, as if I’m an axe murderer.)
The recent Kaiser Permanente radio campaign caught my attention because it takes the whole “paper-less” concept and exploits it as their own contribution to re-greening America. It brags that KP keeps all their medical records electronically, thereby saving trees and “proving” how green they are.
Give me a break.
While I applaud KP for storing my health record electronically so they can quickly and easily access it when I’m lying unconscious on that gurney, my B+ blood gushing over my bloodied body, you’re NOT doing it so you can be part of the green revolution.
For some reason, there is a belief among consumers that the pulp and paper industry blithely attacks any forested area they can get their hands on, and mows down 100-year old redwoods. But here’s the real truth: The big paper manufacturers grow trees for the specific purpose of cutting them down to produce paper. Then, they plant new trees to replace them and start the cycle all over again. If all consumers would take their paper and hand it over to be reused, it would be -- over and over again. And that, my friends, is called recycling.
So why doesn’t the paper industry stand up for itself? Why aren’t they spending money educating the masses on the ‘inconvenient truth’ – the reality behind using trees to make paper? Good question!
But hey KP, here’s the question for you: At your gigantic data centers where you store your patient records electronically, how much energy do you consume keeping those mainframes humming? You had to install new computers in every KP room in which the patient comes in contact, in order to retrieve patient records. How much extra energy does that consumer? And how many times does the doctor hit “print” so I can get a copy of that report on my gallbladder? When I leave KP, I get a printed record of my visit. And I receive a postcard in the mail reminding me of my next appointment. Need I go on?
Businesses think they’re going green by refusing to print their collateral any more – “we’re saving trees,” they note with pride.
Instead, they push customers to their websites where the onus is on the consumer to download the information. After they do, they’ll do what all people do: Use their own printer toner and paper to print the material. Then, they’ll use a highlighter to note the salient points… attach a sticky with a notation to pass along to other colleagues, or simply stuff it in their briefcase to read on the commute ride home. Later, they’ll file it and return to review it again and again when they need to refer to a detail.
Net-net is that the business has made it harder for me to consume information about them on my terms and it has increased MY cost (and my time).
I’m not saying that organizations need to print millions of pieces of collateral, but get off the “I’m saving trees” bandwagon. Help your customers and prospects to better understand your products and benefits by delivering information in the form best consumed by your target – whether it be digitally or on paper.
Not everyone wants (or reads) emails. And not everyone wants to spend time on your poorly laid out website trying to dig to find the information they want.
I’m willing to kill another tree if it helps me communicate better to my target and it's helpful to their sales consideration process. Are you?
Friday, July 24, 2009
It's good enough. But is it award winning?
After spending the last several days as a 3rd Round Judge at the Direct Marketing Association International Echo Awards, I am beginning to wonder if I expect too much from my colleagues and peers in the industry.
I reviewed nearly 100 entries across 4 categories, and I'm disappointed that I only found a handful of truly brilliant entries that, in my humble opinion, deserve to be recognized with an Echo Award.
The Echo's are awarded based on a combination of 3 key factors: strategy, creativity, and results. Considering today's business climate and marketing challenges, I firmly believe that if a marketing effort doesn't move the sales needle even to generate more interest and awareness in your product or service, then the marketing expenditure may have been wasted.
Brilliant direct marketing solutions start by digging deep into the client's business problem. Asking lots of questions and conducting research to fill in any gaps, it is imperative that you understand what's going on in the marketplace, and how the client's particular product or service solves a problem experienced by the target (even if they don't realize they have that problem!).
Determining the most innovative way to position the solution and how, where and when to communicate it to the target efficiently so it drives the desired action is the biggest challenge. This is the strategic part of the marketing equation and the step that seems to be missing from most of the entries I judged.
The execution of that solution is the creative itself. Superior creative seamlessly leverages both words and visuals. It brings them together in perfect harmony in a way that will be most attractive to the target, cause an emotional or visceral reaction, and entice them to learn more/purchase/visit a web site.
The proof of a brilliant strategy and flawless creative are the results. Did the marketing do what it was supposed to do?
It seems that many direct marketers took a problem and applied the most obvious solution. Whether it was a new segmentation strategy, or leveraged a previously tested idea, what I witnessed was rarely breakthrough and certainly did not have the “wow!” factor.
Am I wrong to make this one of my benchmarks?
We all have work we’re proud of – work that has achieved or exceeded a client’s objective. But is it worthy of an Echo award, one of the most prestigious awards in our industry?
Personally, I’m looking for campaigns that make me think “I wish I’d thought of that!”. Or that demonstrate such a new and innovative way of solving a problem that it puts the rest of us to shame.
Sid Liebenson of Draft/FCB delivered a “Lunch and Learn” presentation on how the U.S. has seemingly fallen behind in the creative competitive arena proven by the fewer and fewer awards held by domestic agencies. I must admit I was a little incensed during the discussion, but now that I’ve seen the work for myself I have to wonder: “Is good enough, good enough?”
I hope not. I hope I’ll continue to push my own team to rise to every business and creative challenge because without exceeding the edges of the envelope, we’re destined to become obscure.
I reviewed nearly 100 entries across 4 categories, and I'm disappointed that I only found a handful of truly brilliant entries that, in my humble opinion, deserve to be recognized with an Echo Award.
The Echo's are awarded based on a combination of 3 key factors: strategy, creativity, and results. Considering today's business climate and marketing challenges, I firmly believe that if a marketing effort doesn't move the sales needle even to generate more interest and awareness in your product or service, then the marketing expenditure may have been wasted.
Brilliant direct marketing solutions start by digging deep into the client's business problem. Asking lots of questions and conducting research to fill in any gaps, it is imperative that you understand what's going on in the marketplace, and how the client's particular product or service solves a problem experienced by the target (even if they don't realize they have that problem!).
Determining the most innovative way to position the solution and how, where and when to communicate it to the target efficiently so it drives the desired action is the biggest challenge. This is the strategic part of the marketing equation and the step that seems to be missing from most of the entries I judged.
The execution of that solution is the creative itself. Superior creative seamlessly leverages both words and visuals. It brings them together in perfect harmony in a way that will be most attractive to the target, cause an emotional or visceral reaction, and entice them to learn more/purchase/visit a web site.
The proof of a brilliant strategy and flawless creative are the results. Did the marketing do what it was supposed to do?
It seems that many direct marketers took a problem and applied the most obvious solution. Whether it was a new segmentation strategy, or leveraged a previously tested idea, what I witnessed was rarely breakthrough and certainly did not have the “wow!” factor.
Am I wrong to make this one of my benchmarks?
We all have work we’re proud of – work that has achieved or exceeded a client’s objective. But is it worthy of an Echo award, one of the most prestigious awards in our industry?
Personally, I’m looking for campaigns that make me think “I wish I’d thought of that!”. Or that demonstrate such a new and innovative way of solving a problem that it puts the rest of us to shame.
Sid Liebenson of Draft/FCB delivered a “Lunch and Learn” presentation on how the U.S. has seemingly fallen behind in the creative competitive arena proven by the fewer and fewer awards held by domestic agencies. I must admit I was a little incensed during the discussion, but now that I’ve seen the work for myself I have to wonder: “Is good enough, good enough?”
I hope not. I hope I’ll continue to push my own team to rise to every business and creative challenge because without exceeding the edges of the envelope, we’re destined to become obscure.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Social media needs some help with social skills.
Is Social Media just an excuse to share the tiniest scraps of ones everyday existence?
Do I really care that "Frank" is wondering what to make for dinner? Or that "Sue" just entered the grocery store looking for lemons? I find it curious that people can't just "be" without having the need to tell the world what they’re doing every moment. And then I wonder why I’m reading their musings! Surely we all have better things to do.
Remember the old days when the end of the day meant meeting for a drink to share how the day progressed? Or making a phone call to a friend to catch up? Are these behaviors passé already?
I was in a restaurant recently and observed a group of twenty-somethings who were obviously celebrating someone’s birthday. They all had a mobile device glued to a palm and each were checking theirs regularly. I suppose it’s not as rude as taking or making an actual phone call, but still, are we turning into a society of people who don’t know how to interact in person?
When we hired a summer student last year, we discovered she didn’t have a lot of email skills and we were stunned. Instead, she communicates via texting… or posts to Facebook for her 1:Many communications. My teenage son recently acted shocked that I had a Facebook page – he thought it was the domain of teenagers.
So I started thinking about how and why I use Facebook. I’ve certainly discovered long lost friends from school, college and jobs around the globe. But I’ve also fallen into the trap of reading posts by friends that are simple notations about what they’re doing (“Watching my kids play at the park”). And I’m thinking why are you posting instead of playing with your children?
I’m trying to be smart about Social Media… just like I try not to call people during the dinner hour (does that show my age?). I try not to tweet about the mundane (would people stop following me if I did?). And I try to blog about topics that might interest others… am I off base here? Does anybody really care that I’m sipping a diet coke and wondering if I’ll have time to stop at the dry cleaners on the way home?
Do I really care that "Frank" is wondering what to make for dinner? Or that "Sue" just entered the grocery store looking for lemons? I find it curious that people can't just "be" without having the need to tell the world what they’re doing every moment. And then I wonder why I’m reading their musings! Surely we all have better things to do.
Remember the old days when the end of the day meant meeting for a drink to share how the day progressed? Or making a phone call to a friend to catch up? Are these behaviors passé already?
I was in a restaurant recently and observed a group of twenty-somethings who were obviously celebrating someone’s birthday. They all had a mobile device glued to a palm and each were checking theirs regularly. I suppose it’s not as rude as taking or making an actual phone call, but still, are we turning into a society of people who don’t know how to interact in person?
When we hired a summer student last year, we discovered she didn’t have a lot of email skills and we were stunned. Instead, she communicates via texting… or posts to Facebook for her 1:Many communications. My teenage son recently acted shocked that I had a Facebook page – he thought it was the domain of teenagers.
So I started thinking about how and why I use Facebook. I’ve certainly discovered long lost friends from school, college and jobs around the globe. But I’ve also fallen into the trap of reading posts by friends that are simple notations about what they’re doing (“Watching my kids play at the park”). And I’m thinking why are you posting instead of playing with your children?
I’m trying to be smart about Social Media… just like I try not to call people during the dinner hour (does that show my age?). I try not to tweet about the mundane (would people stop following me if I did?). And I try to blog about topics that might interest others… am I off base here? Does anybody really care that I’m sipping a diet coke and wondering if I’ll have time to stop at the dry cleaners on the way home?
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
...and the winner is...
As a child, I always loved watching the Academy Awards. All those celebrities, dressed to the nines, sitting in their seats in anticipation of that magical moment when their name would be announced as the winner.
I liked to believe that they didn't know they had even been nominated until their name was called with the other nominees. And as the winner was announced and the camera focused on their face, they looked so excited and thrilled that they couldn't believe their good fortune.
While I've since learned the truth about the nomination process, the award ceremony itself is still exciting. It takes hard work to enter most awards shows. Writing strategic documents that set up the problem, define the strategy, and then accurately portray all the rationale for the solution require thought, time, and energy. And the work that gets entered is of such a high calibre that you're often left thinking "I wish I'd done that!"
I felt that same excitement at the Philadelphia Direct Marketing Association (PDMA) Benjamin Franklin Awards Dinner last Thursday evening. While I knew we had been nominated in two different categories for our work on two different clients, I didn't know whether or not we had won. As I sat at my table with colleagues, clients and other business associates, I listened intently to the judging process and was surprised to learn that the PDMA sends all of their entries to the Direct Marketing Association of Washington where their members act as independent judges of the work.
So I was both thrilled and delighted when they announced we had won in both of the categories in which we had entered! One was for our B2B direct marketing work for TANDBERG, an industry-leader in the video conferencing space, and the other for our work for independent jazz radio station KCSM-FM. Walking to the podium each time, I was struck by how exciting it was to have all eyes in the room on us. Talk about our 30 seconds of fame!
But the most delightful part of the process was sharing our win with our clients. After all, they're the ones who had the good judgement to hire us in the first place... and they're the ones who worked so hard with us on the strategic planning process, and they're the ones that allowed us to execute the type of work we're proud to showcase. And finally they're the ones who believed in our expertise. And I'm most proud that the work we conceived, designed, and executed achieved the desired objective: to help move their respective businesses forward.
I believe that participation in industry Award Shows are an honor for all of us. And, in the end, we all want to be associated with great work that truly works.
Thank-you to the Academy...
I liked to believe that they didn't know they had even been nominated until their name was called with the other nominees. And as the winner was announced and the camera focused on their face, they looked so excited and thrilled that they couldn't believe their good fortune.
While I've since learned the truth about the nomination process, the award ceremony itself is still exciting. It takes hard work to enter most awards shows. Writing strategic documents that set up the problem, define the strategy, and then accurately portray all the rationale for the solution require thought, time, and energy. And the work that gets entered is of such a high calibre that you're often left thinking "I wish I'd done that!"
I felt that same excitement at the Philadelphia Direct Marketing Association (PDMA) Benjamin Franklin Awards Dinner last Thursday evening. While I knew we had been nominated in two different categories for our work on two different clients, I didn't know whether or not we had won. As I sat at my table with colleagues, clients and other business associates, I listened intently to the judging process and was surprised to learn that the PDMA sends all of their entries to the Direct Marketing Association of Washington where their members act as independent judges of the work.
So I was both thrilled and delighted when they announced we had won in both of the categories in which we had entered! One was for our B2B direct marketing work for TANDBERG, an industry-leader in the video conferencing space, and the other for our work for independent jazz radio station KCSM-FM. Walking to the podium each time, I was struck by how exciting it was to have all eyes in the room on us. Talk about our 30 seconds of fame!
But the most delightful part of the process was sharing our win with our clients. After all, they're the ones who had the good judgement to hire us in the first place... and they're the ones who worked so hard with us on the strategic planning process, and they're the ones that allowed us to execute the type of work we're proud to showcase. And finally they're the ones who believed in our expertise. And I'm most proud that the work we conceived, designed, and executed achieved the desired objective: to help move their respective businesses forward.
I believe that participation in industry Award Shows are an honor for all of us. And, in the end, we all want to be associated with great work that truly works.
Thank-you to the Academy...
Monday, June 1, 2009
If you build it, will they come?
In B2B marketing, decisionmakers (and influencers) are always gathering information about products before they take the next step in the sales cycle. So how do you make sure they have access to, and get, what they need and want?
Many corporate websites are chock full of product information -- but often located in disparate locations. For a cold prospect, landing on the website home page makes information gathering a daunting, time consuming task.
Instead, build a Resource Center, and organize it such that your target can find and consume it quickly and easily. If you're targeting key verticals, then organize your site by vertical industry. Then, within each vertical, organize your whitepapers, case studies, product spec sheets etc.
Use your outbound marketing efforts to drive targets to that microsite. To determine who is visiting and downloading information, "lock" your pages and require visitors to register before they can access the information. Yes, you will get a few "Mickey Mouse" registrants, but those who are most serious are happy to share who they are -- if you don't ask that pesky "how soon are you looking to purchase?" question. Of course we've all figured out that you'll be calling us first if we answer "within 1 month!".
Be sure to have a plan in place to get a list of who has been visiting your Resource Center every day -- and a plan as to how to follow up with these leads. There is NOTHING more annoying than getting a phone call that says "You downloaded a white paper last month and I'm calling to see if you want more information." My response is "I download lots of whitepapers -- I can't even remember which whitepaper you're talking about, so no, I'm not interested."
A better follow up plan is to have a real reason to follow up -- an invitation to a webinar where a professional user of the product is talking about his/her experience with the product. Or an invitation to a breakfast briefing where some C-level is going to talk about how his/her business was transformed (and the product was part of the solution).
Business leaders are always seeking ideas and ways to make their business more productive. But if you make them do all the work to find out how, or where, they may show up the first time, but they will not come back. Ever.
Many corporate websites are chock full of product information -- but often located in disparate locations. For a cold prospect, landing on the website home page makes information gathering a daunting, time consuming task.
Instead, build a Resource Center, and organize it such that your target can find and consume it quickly and easily. If you're targeting key verticals, then organize your site by vertical industry. Then, within each vertical, organize your whitepapers, case studies, product spec sheets etc.
Use your outbound marketing efforts to drive targets to that microsite. To determine who is visiting and downloading information, "lock" your pages and require visitors to register before they can access the information. Yes, you will get a few "Mickey Mouse" registrants, but those who are most serious are happy to share who they are -- if you don't ask that pesky "how soon are you looking to purchase?" question. Of course we've all figured out that you'll be calling us first if we answer "within 1 month!".
Be sure to have a plan in place to get a list of who has been visiting your Resource Center every day -- and a plan as to how to follow up with these leads. There is NOTHING more annoying than getting a phone call that says "You downloaded a white paper last month and I'm calling to see if you want more information." My response is "I download lots of whitepapers -- I can't even remember which whitepaper you're talking about, so no, I'm not interested."
A better follow up plan is to have a real reason to follow up -- an invitation to a webinar where a professional user of the product is talking about his/her experience with the product. Or an invitation to a breakfast briefing where some C-level is going to talk about how his/her business was transformed (and the product was part of the solution).
Business leaders are always seeking ideas and ways to make their business more productive. But if you make them do all the work to find out how, or where, they may show up the first time, but they will not come back. Ever.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
