Posts Tagged ‘branding’
Tuesday, July 26th, 2011
Young and Rubicam Brands Company released their consumer spending and attitude study last month and of course created a new buzzword: the spend shift movement. Yea, we know all about wanting quality and affordability. The best news: the rise in community, purpose and connection. The biggest challenge in Corporate America: confidence in both big business and big government has dropped by nearly half in just two years. Add a buying public savvy in search tools and social media…Houston, they have a problem.
Why do we care? Because if consumers want it, we can help organizations give it to them. So pay attention to the connection part. Corporate America will turn on the community-building machine in a big way. Watch for more opportunities to bring “value” (in all its definitions) to the market. This is an issue with a big budget behind it. Check out Booz Allen’s article on this report by clicking here.
Tags: branding, budgets, Marketing, positioning, social media, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Tuesday, July 19th, 2011
There’s a very unique relationship between time and risk. The longer you wait to solve a problem, the riskier the solution becomes. There are two reasons why: 1) because you divert resources that could be used; and, 2) problems have a tendency to grow as time moves on.
Here’s an example: you need a website but can’t afford help in building it. So you spend $500 getting a kid to program it for you; the site is built but not getting traffic. You finally have an “I need help” conversation with a professional and learn that you/the kid made some critical mistakes and the site has to be rebuilt in order to get the traffic you want. The problem: you spent the money you could’ve used on personal bills. With little revenue coming in, the investment is now riskier. You now have an acute “chicken or the egg” dilemma — you can’t earn the revenue until you fix the site but don’t have the money to fix the site.
This happens too often when we wait too long to get help. When we think “I just need to get XX more clients, then I will invest in my business,” we spend too much time treading water. The market doesn’t work that way. We have to invest first before buyers will invest in us. Before it’s too late…
Tags: branding, conversations, experts, Marketing, positioning, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Thursday, June 23rd, 2011
Many experts who speak are looking for sponsors to pay their heft speaking fee. And sponsors are still doing that but asking host organizations “how can you provide more value?” first. Here are a couple of ideas inspired by veteran sports professionals in their sponsorship deals:
- Community outreach. Every sponsor wants more exposure than the event. How about finding out who their target market is and participating in that? For example, if your banking sponsor wants to reach out to business owners, why can’t you do an extra session for that audience?
- Product placement. TV shows and movies have taken this to a whole new level with more subtle references. Can speakers do the same with examples and stories that feature the sponsor? Let’s go one step further: in the name of interactive learning, is there any way to demonstrate the sponsor’s product or service? Use them as a case study perhaps?
- Business-building opportunities. These sponsors are partnering to expand their reach. Does your community have value to them too? How could you facilitate introductions between the sponsors and your business contacts? A reception maybe?
Suggestions that go above and beyond might be refused by the host organization but your offer will not be forgotten. Great way to position yourself as a partner rather than just a speaker for the convention.
Tags: branding, experts, Marketing, Speaking, Sponsorship, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Tuesday, June 21st, 2011
I believe our best learning happens outside our environment. That’s why I’m fascinated by this study about the retail industry. Hit hard by the economy and buyers looking for bargains (sound familiar?) retailers are our canaries in the mine shafts.
If anyone has reason to be worried, it would be the retailers. But they are not. Instead of consumer confidence (last year’s problem), their concern has shifted to consumer trends. They are now worried about what their customers are buying and how to get and keep more customers.
And so should we. Too many of us are still playing defense. We’re so worried about losing that we’re not focused on what our buyers are buying and why. Now is the time to invest in acquiring more clients. In making sure our message is compelling enough to rise about the noise. Let’s go on the offensive. Let’s get our share.
Tags: branding, experts, Marketing, positioning, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Tuesday, May 31st, 2011
Many experts use surveys to create compelling findings for promoting our brand to the media. We bet our credibility on those results. But how can we make sure those conclusions aren’t biased?
My thinking: we don’t intentionally bias the results. According to this Fast Company interview with University of Michigan professor Michael Traugott, poor wording is the biggest culprit. When we use emotionally charged words such as “forbid”, we skew the responses. When we add phrases such as “how about you?” or “do you agree?” we activate our natural instincts to acquiesce to the majority and the authority. Who knew?
Click here for more ideas on how to make your next survey the most compelling yet. Because the truth is usually stranger than the stuff we make up.
Tags: branding, experts, Marketing, positioning, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Thursday, May 19th, 2011
Yes, the economy is growing and buyers are still a little timid. So managing their fear can be the biggest obstacle standing between their challenges and our solutions.
Martin Lindstrom, author of one of my favorite books, Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy, has a different take than the old “just show your value and it will be OK” fluff out there. His advice: understand the fundamental role of fear and then use that to strengthen your position. This can work in marketing campaigns to thousands and one-on-one sales conversations. It can create compelling content for speeches, articles, anything you use to market your expertise.
Read this Fast Company article he wrote and pay attention to two things:
- How he sets up the 30,000-foot perspective with a rhetorical question and then dives down into three specific strategies.
- The strategies themselves. How can you implement what he suggests?
Great food for thought, even as we enjoy this economic growth spurt.
Tags: branding, experts, Marketing, positioning, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Tuesday, May 10th, 2011
I dread giving bad news. Always flit between the “stay out of other people’s business” and the “but I can avoid future train wrecks” arguments. But when Dan Janal asked me about the biggest mistakes speakers make, I just let loose. Later, he told me, “that’s some pretty bitter medicine you just gave”.
What I said in a nutshell: too many speakers write books for all the wrong reasons. The result: books that brand good people as “hire me — I’m free and always will be”. Now that’s okay if you’re a consultant looking for clients. Too many folks depend on books to get paid speaking. And it’s only after they’ve spent months (and major money) on producing and promoting the book when reality hits: no new revenue is forthcoming.
Here’s the antidote: strategy first, then start writing. Look around your space and ask yourself: where’s the hole in the market? What angle is not being covered? And the big kahuna question: what new perspective can I add to this conversation? These answers will make sure your book will get you those paid gigs.
The rest of the interview was enlightening, too. Click here to give a listen.
Tags: authors, books, branding, experts, Marketing, positioning, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Tuesday, April 26th, 2011
Red alert: Kindle ebooks market is about to get a whole lot more crowded. And not with the good stuff. Somebody got the bright idea to compile information already in the public domain and sell it as a 99 cent ebook on Kindle. There are even learning systems out there (one for a whopping $27) to tell you step-by-step how to flood the market with these crappy Kindle books. The business model: the more stuff you throw at the Kindle wall, the more you can nickel-and-dime your way to success. I don’t know whether to laugh or get mad.
Ordinarily, I would ignore these shenanigans but want to give you a heads up. Why do you care? Two reasons: first, will the volume of 99 cent books drive down the price? And, if so, how low can legitimate experts go? And, second…buyers tend to paint with a very wide brush. If spam books take over a particular segment — business growth, for example — will legitimate content be seen as the same thing at first glance? It will be interesting to see how Amazon deals with these content farmers.
Bottom line: spammers tend to bring the channel down with them (Exhibit A: email marketing). So we will have to work even harder on branding and promotion.
Tags: authors, books, branding, Marketing, promotion, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Thursday, April 21st, 2011
Heard a lot of speakers while on the Harvard University trip to India. One of my favorites was Dr. Kiran Bedi, former prison warden turned social activist. What got her started as the first woman in the Indian Police Service: being a tennis champion.
How did that happen? Her championship career got her media coverage. She was portrayed as mentally tough and a strong competitor. That brand fit well into the police environment. She looked like a safe bet because people “knew her”. According to Dr. Bedi, “They could check me out”. Talk about juxtaposition.
The moral of the story: your background is important; the media about your background is critical. Key question: what does the media coverage of your background say about you?
Tags: branding, Marketing, positioning, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Thursday, January 6th, 2011
I’ve been preaching for years about using labels to describe who you are and how you work. Saw this in full force last month at the TEDWomen Conference. My favorite examples:
- Three sisters redefined chamber music with a stellar and innovative performance. They call themselves “artistic hackers”.
- PhD student calls herself a “Social Roboticist”, and her work “an intersection of robots and entertainment”.
- An agricultural expert calls herself a “scientific farmer” who specializes in “food security”.
The common theme: two words that usually don’t come together create a mental picture that makes us want to see more. And this technique can describe anything — from who you are to your solution. The key: create juxtaposition. The more you meld unrelated things, the more compelling you become.
My question for the New Year: how will you describe your work?
Tags: branding, Marketing, positioning, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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