Growing & Learning Archives - Page 22 of 23

Listen up! (How all companies should use blogs)

November 11, 2006

Despite a bazillion new blogs being started every day, business blogging still seems to be in its infancy. Many companies are still wondering why they would need a blog. And maybe they don’t. Creating and maintaining a blog is not for everyone or every organization. But that doesn’t mean blogging isn’t an important business tool.

You should use blogs to listen to your customers. You’ll be amazed at what they’re saying. Here are a couple links that say it better than I can. Mike’s post tells you how to do it. Tom’s two-parter will give you a remarkable example of how a company turned a rant into a rave…all by listening to blogs.

Mike Sansone’s How To Listen In post.

Tom Vander Well’s Real Life Example posts. Part one. And…part two.

Read…and learn. And start to listen.

Our glass was WAY past full this morning!

November 10, 2006

Did you feel it? About 8:30 central time (US)? A slight rumble underfoot? An eerie aura or sense that it was no ordinary day?

Me too. Because here in Des Moines, IA (the blogging capital of the world) we had a gathering. And a guest.

Starbucker of Ramblings From a Glass Half Full was in KC for business and decided he had to come up and see what the blogging mecca of Des Moines was all about. As you can see, he had dinner with Tim Johnson of Carpe Factum last night and then got some good rest so he was ready for “DSM Goes a Blogging” (no, not clogging Tom VW) this morning.

What ensued was quite a bit of raucous laughter at Panera, as we online friends put faces and voices to the thoughts and ideas we’ve been sharing together for months. It was tough, after more than 90 minutes, to drag myself away and actually get to the day job. But I have no doubt we’ll get together again.

Here’s a snapshot of the motley crew. In order, from left to right (or as I like to think of it…most handsome to….)

Me
Sandy Renshaw of Purple Wren
Tom Vander Well of QAQNA
Tim Johnson of Carpe Factum
Mike Sansone of Converstations
Starbucker the guest of honor (gotta love a guy who only uses one name!) of Glass Half Full
Mike Wagner of Own Your Brand

Why do you blog?

November 8, 2006

Image by Blogging Librarian via Flickr

CK, over at CK’s blog asked a simple question. Why do marketers blog? She got so many great answers that she wanted to capture them, rather than let the scroll down to her archive and get lost.

So she created a PDF. Check it out — some great, insightful thoughts.

But…she wants to one up herself, so she’s asking the same question again. What is the single greatest value you get from blogging?

Join in the conversation.

Is wacky marketing a good idea?

November 7, 2006

Now there’s a loaded question, eh?

The answer, of course, is…maybe. Maybe not. How’s that for decisive marketing counsel? Wacky for wacky’s sake is fun but its for you, not for your customer. Wacky for the right reasons, in the right place…for the right business? Now that’s worth looking at, from your customer’s POV.

It all wraps around the bigger issue of branding. Does your brand fit with wacky? If so, you can probably come up with an attention-getting marketing tactic that celebrates something unique about your brand. But if you’re a law firm, it probably doesn’t make much sense.

An article in an old Entrepreneur Magazine caught my eye. The author lists 10 "crazy marketing stunts." Frankly, I think most of them are bad ideas. Which doesn’t make the concept a bad one — but it does point out that being silly for silly’s sake also speaks volumes about your brand. So be wacky mindfully.

The Travelocity Gnome…great idea. It fits their brand. The lizard with the accent and the funny commercials — Geico has done a great job of making themselves different from all the other insurance guys — much like their AFLAC competitors have done with the duck.

So don’t discount wacky. But do it for the right reason. Because it fits your brand.

Thanks President Bush but I’m kinda busy

November 6, 2006

Let me paint the picture for you and you can read between the lines.

We have a hotly contended congressional race here in Iowa. The Republican Jeff Lamberti is trying to unseat the Democrat Leonard Boswell. President Bush made a special trip to Des Moines support Lamberti. Lamberti orignally had a conflict because he had made a commitment to speak to the very influential downtown rotary. A true and convenient excuse to avoid offending the President but also avoiding being seen with him. (Note: This is my supposition…I don’t believe that the President’s approval ratings are helping any Republicans this year).

Interesting, but not all that noteworthy. Yet. Here’s the part I love.

Leonard Boswell (the opponent), who was slated the following week at the rotary, graciously offered to switch weeks. Keep in mind, these two men are running one of the most negative, nasty campaigns I have seen in a long time. And out of the blue, Boswell decided to be gracious. Hmm.

Now Lamberti is in a pickle. He had the perfect out. We all know (again…my assumption based on current day realities) he didn’t want to appear with President Bush. But his opponent was brilliant. Lamberti could now embarrass the President by still declining or embarrass himself by appearing with the President.

And Boswell looks magnanimous. Brilliant.

There’s a great marketing message in this story. Sometimes being gracious to your competitor is the best offense of all. Especially in a sea of dirty political advertising, Boswell’s gentlemanly offer made him momentarily smell like a rose…and put his opponent is a sticky wicket. By the way…Bush and Jeff Lamberti did appear together. Bush repeatedly called his close friend Jeff by the name of Dave. No wonder politicians are inwardly groaning when they hear Bush is coming to town.

No matter how much the politicians have worn you down — please plan on voting tomorrow. It won’t get better if we check out.

Ease into the week — personal brand license plate?

November 5, 2006

I don’t know about you but Sunday nights are time for me to catch up. On my reading, on my work, on my relationships — all with an eye on Monday morning and knowing that the 180 mph pace is about to resume.

Sundays also seem to be my day for deep thoughts. I thought it might be fun to ease into the week together with a question that is sort of about branding and marketing but also has a personal element to it as well. A chance to get to know each other AND talk shop. Perfect for a Sunday night.

At MMG, we’re all about branding. We preach it, believe in it and celebrate it for our clients. But, there’s a whole movement surrounding personal branding too.

As I walked by my SUV tonight, my license plate caught my eye. I’ve had the same plate for about 9 or 10 years now and it never fails to strike up a conversation. But, in a lot of ways, it is the core of my personal brand. I thought I’d share it with you and ask you this question:

If you could brand yourself with a license plate (let’s say a max of 8 letters) what word or combination of letters would you choose to tell the world what you are all about?

What do you believe in?

November 4, 2006

It’s really my goal with this blog to create dialog about marketing, branding, customers and doing business. But one of the really unique things about blogs is that no matter the topic, they get personal. I love how the better blog writers artfully weave bits of their personality, lives and passions into their posts.

A great example of that is a post that I first saw several weeks ago.

Starbucker over at Ramblings from A Glass Half Full created quite a flurry of posts, links and trackbacks with his post inspired by one of my top ten films Bull Durham. Starbucker’s post was called Crash Davis and the Belief Statement – My Turn.

I thought his post and the posts that followed were inspiring, thought-provoking and quite revealing about the authors. I decided I would take a stab at it myself, but it has taken me awhile to really mull over what beliefs I held so fervently that I should include them.

So, a little late in the game…here’s what I believe in. I hope that this post might re-spark some other folks to jump in and add to the chorus.

I believe…

being a dad is the most important thing I’ll ever do and that my daughter is my legacy to this world.

in God’s grace.

passion cannot be ignored.

in the healing powers of walking along the ocean.

in savoring when you hit the sweet spot…and knowing how to recreate it.

everyone should have at least one guilty pleasure and one place that makes them feel like a kid again. (Mine is Disney World!)

life’s best smells are babies, a puppy’s belly, freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, the softness of a special perfume as you dance to a slow song and a horse barn. (I do not necessarily recommend that these smells be mixed)

good people become great people when they give from their hearts and that most bad people are good people who are stuck.

we are never too old to play and be silly.

that nothing says I love you quicker than holding hands.

baseball is a metaphor for life and that doing what’s right often means hitting a sacrifice bunt.

the word empower should be removed from the English language.

we all decide the spirit of our day.

in the resilience of the human spirit, the depth of the human heart and the potential of the human imagination.

that everything is about relationships and people hunger to connect.

I am on this earth to be a part of things bigger than myself, to give all that I have and to love without hesitation or reservation.

What do you say…will you join in?

Stop, drop and cone?

November 2, 2006

Starbucker over at Ramblings from a Glass Half Full (who always makes me think!) just posted an "I have too many things rattling around in my head" lament that I have no doubt most people can relate to. I know, as an agency owner and active community volunteer (not to mention dad et al) there are some days when I literally run from meeting to meeting, trying to squeeze in phone calls in between meetings. And then I wonder…when will I get all the work done that these meetings generated? Those are frustrating days. But, to be fair, I do it to myself.

Sometimes I have to give myself a reprieve. So I cone myself.

Coning is something we invented at McLellan Marketing Group because all of us need some "quiet time" now and then. Every employee at MMG has a traffic cone in their office. When that cone is placed in their doorway, it means, "unless the building is on fire, do not disturb me."

I coned myself for about 90 minutes yesterday. The week had been frantic and I was riding very close to several deadlines. I got more done in those 90 minutes than I had all week. And best of all….I felt great. I felt calm, I felt successful. I felt like I was back in control. Here are some of my secrets to successful coning.

Have a commonly understood signal (like the cone) that everyone in your office will honor.
Set the example by NEVER interrupting a coned person.
Turn your cell phone, regular phone et al ringers off.
Do not check e-mail, blog feeds or any other distraction during your coned time.
Do not do it for more than 90 minutes (its very frustrating to be on the other side of the cone and need to talk to someone who’s been coned for 3 hours.)
Make it a habit. Do it at least 3 times a week.

Of course, it does not have to be a cone. Get creative. As you can see, I have added a skull to my own cone…just to reinforce the gravity of circumstance that one would experience if they broke the code of the cone.

It’s hard to keep those marketing juices flowing if you are feeling bogged down. Find a way to get yourself some quiet time. You’ll be surprised at how quickly you get re-fueled. BTW– The Chicago Tribune liked this idea so much, they shared it with their readers a while back.

(And yes, I have a carpet with a little road on it for match box cars in my office. Another post for another time!)

All I want for Christmas…

October 30, 2006

…is another popcorn tin?

Less than 60 days to the culmination of the holiday gift giving season, whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa. (Or any combination!)

Most businesses try to acknowledge their best clients over the holidays. A smart plan. But it often loses a great deal in the execution. What do you give your clients? Popcorn tin? Fruitcake (eww) or fruit basket?

I know, how about a paperweight or nut assortment?

All fine ideas. (insert yawn here).

Sorry — but could you be any more like everyone else? Why bother? Do you have any idea how many of those items stack up at the average business? What does your gift say about you and your organization? Here’s what I think those gifts say:

We didn’t want to put a lot of thought into this.

We wanted to do something easy.

All of our clients are getting the same thing, so you’re really not that special after all.

We’re generic — nothing special about our gift, nothing special about us.

I know, that’s a little harsh. But come on…admit it. When you receive your 4th popcorn tin of the season, are you all giddy inside? Can you even remember who gave you what?

I have searched the blogosphere to find others having this conversation and guess what. Most of them say "Be generic. Give the same stuff everyone else does, it’s safe."

Sure is. And it is completely forgettable too. Why waste your money?

You have two choices, in my opinion. If you have a handful of clients, then buy them something that shows you understand what matters to them. If they love theatre, tickets to a show. Into their kids — a game night package, complete with popcorn. Demonstrate that they matter to you by knowing who they are.

If you have a larger number of clients to remember, think about your company’s brand. What are you all about? What’s your brand promise? What gift seems to be fitting with that? What feels like you? What gift, when they look at the booty for the season, will stand out and be unmistakably from you and only you?

So…what will you be wrapping up for clients this holiday season?

Not a hand check…a brand check!

October 27, 2006

Remember those junior high and high school parties? When some parent, thinking they’re funny, would shout "hand check!" Well, think of me as a marketer who thinks he’s funny and I am shouting…

"Brand check!"

Think your brand is rock solid? Let’s check. For the next week, we’re going to conduct some poor man’s research. You’ll need a pad of paper and a pen or pencil.

Ask every customer, vendor, consumer of your goods/services, and employee to describe your organization in a single word. You’ll be amazed at the insights from this little exercise.

Anyone brave enough to share the results on my blog? Why not share the learning?

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