Red Slice Brand Slice

Blog as moved!

2009-11-10T15:05:00.000-08:00

This blog has officially moved to www.red-slice.com/blog. If you are already signed up for the email feed, you will automatically start received the new feed.

Cheers!

Getting Your Story Told: Recovering from Brain Injury

2009-11-03T12:30:00.001-08:00

We all have a story to tell. In my work, I advise businesses on how to tell their stories to "engage, inform and delight." But this mission is also a personal one. I've always been a storyteller, whether it be marketing, writing or acting. I love watching the "a ha" happen for people who have just earned something new or who are delighted, moved, or inspired.

I've been pitching my story about recovering from brain aneurysm/hemorrhage to various media outlets to educate about brain injury and inspire those facing challenges. KUOW here in Seattle loved my transformational story and interviewed me for KUOW Presents. The show aired on Saturday, November 7.

As with marketing, you need to ensure that you have value to offer your audience when doing something like this. And I really wanted to let people know about the effects of brain injury, that the struggle is ongoing even if you "look "fine" and that you have to redefine and accept yourself as a result. So many people know little about this experience, and with all the troops coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan with brain injuries from combat, you can be sure you or someone you know, work with, or hang out with may have been touched by it.

I wrote more about my experiences on my personal blog. Feel free to have a look.

How much of "YOU" should you put in your brand?

2009-10-29T11:25:00.000-07:00

We had a lively group at our Ignite Your Marketing workshop last night. Whitney Keyes and I presented some brand and marketing basics, a 10-step formula for creating a brand strategy, and how to put that brand into action.

Feedback was wonderful!

"Well-crafted, simple, clear explanations"

"It made me want to brainstorm further!"

"Motivating, current, lively"

"Excellent resource for any small business owner or business owner re-thinking their brand"

"Loved it! All the stuff I should have done before I opened my business but didn't!"

"I learned a lot about how to approach my own brand marketing as well as some valuable tools for promoting these values to clients. Useful for getting focused and taking the right steps."

Shout out to the great businesses who attended: Studio Evolve pilates studio, Champion Assistants online sales and marketing consultants, Ladies Who Launch Seattle community for women entrepreneurs, Andrea Rae bodywork, and Married with Luggage lifestyle and travel blog.

One of our discussions was around how much of your personality do you put into a small business brand, if you eventually want the business to be sold or "move on without you."

Brand attributes and value should be authentic, but should really be grounded in what your customer base cares about. However, to be authentic, if the business is just you right now, then it should indeed reflect you, your traits, and your values. The brand can then be operationalized into the organization as it grows. We often forget many big companies are actually named for their founders, and the founders' beliefs and values still live on in the brand - because they were consistent with what their customers wanted and needed. Think H&R Block, Disney, Nordstrom, Oprah. Some founders choose to name their business something else in plans to sell the business or move on, but the personality and values of the founder still come through in the brand (Virgin and Richard Branson come to mind)

So create a brand that is authentic to you, focuses on your values and beliefs - as long as those are of value to your customers. You can never go wrong if you do that, no matter what name you give your company.

Time, Time, Time...How to Sell It

2009-10-26T15:32:00.000-07:00

Today's WSJ has an excellent article on how companies can use time to their competitive advantage. In a world with only so many high-level benefits can be offered (you can have sub-messages at the 2nd and 3rd tiers down, but really most benefits either increase, decrease or improve something) this is a great way to differentiate yourself- if you can keep in mind exactly how your product or service manipulates time.

They grouped the time factors into 2 categories:

1) Managing Time as Price. Helping people do things faster, thus saving time and helping people do more in less time. The reporters found 4 approaches to this benefit statement:

Doing it for them (ie, Roomba vacuums)
Picking up the pace (drive-through windows)
Shrinking the time committment, if that has been the obstacle to purchase (lunchtime facelifts)
Ending the wait (redesigned check out line processes for faster service)

2) Managing Time as Product. Turning time into something people will buy. For example, all the home-based cooking offerings out there, like Washington's own Dream Dinners. It enables you to prepare a home-cooked meal ahead of time, pick your entrees on the web, and then stop by their local Dream Dinners on the way home to assemble the pre-chopped ingredients. They estimate they save people 20 hours a month in all the tasks involved in planning, prepping, shopping, preparing and clean up. So customers essentially "buy time."

The article talked about giving people a choice on whether they prefer to save time or enjoy their time more. They cited Blue Nile, where you can buy jewelry and engagement rings online, as one who employs a choice strategy. He can research as little or as much as he wants, but once the selection is made, the transaction is pretty quick.

The article goes further to say companies need to continually check in on this strategy and benefit with their customers, as needs change over time. Their assessment of time costs changes as well so you must continually test new approaches. The goods and services that customers may have been willing to invest time in when they were new, may now require time-saving approaches and redesigns today just to stay relevant - and to meet changing expectations.

Brand Gap: What's in a name?

2009-10-21T11:24:00.001-07:00

More from Marty Neumeier's great book The Brand Gap: What makes a good company name?

I love this, as I get asked this question all the time. By no means a naming "expert", I still have put on my branding and creative writing hat for clients on this - for example, coming up with the name for Betsy Talbot's lifestyle and travel blog Married with Luggage (plug: check out her new series on how they saved up $75,000 for their planned trip around the world.). But Marty outlines some great points on how to choose a good name. With full credit to him on this (why reinvent the wheel on great advice?), here's the 7 criteria for a good name:

1) Distinctiveness: Does it stand out from the crowd? He says the best names have the "presence" of a noun.

2) Bevity: Is it short enough to be easily recalled and used? Or will it result it being abbreviated into a meaningless acronym?

3) Appropriateness: Does it reasonably fit the business purpose?

4) Easy spelling and pronuniciation: Tech companies in the late 90's/early 2000's bit it on this one. Will most people be able to spell the name after hearing it spoken at an event or in an ad (or more importantly, via word of mouth?). Marty says a name should not be a spelling test, nor should it make people feel ignorant.

5) Likability: Sorry, can't help but think about the Drinkability ads for beer on this one...Will people enjoy using it (How much do I love saying "Bing!" now? Ask my husband...), does it have a good "mouth feel" or does it stimulate the senses/mind? If not, it should....

6) Extendability: Can you use it in different places creatively or interpretively? Does it suggest an image or visual? This will greatly help you extend the name brand in wordplay and imagery. One of my clients has the name CareerBranches and I love it as we build out her brand, logo and imagery. So much with which to play..

7) Protectability: Can it be trademarked? Is the domain available? Consult with trademark lawyer before any final selection and at last make sure the name is defendable, even if someone else is using it in a completely different industry.

Given this, I 'm very happy with having selected Red Slice.....!

Photo credit: pdphoto.org

Make Marketing Matter to Your CEO

2009-10-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

Many of us in the corporate world have at one time or another stuggled to justify marketing expenditures to the powers-that-be. If I had a dime for every time I fought with a CFO over why we needed to pay for certain marketing activities ("No, I don't know how to code HTML, thank you very much.") I'd have enough money to have paid for those initiatives 10 times over.

And what happens when you are the CEO of your own company? How can you justify those expenses to yourself and still sleep at night?

CEO's care about cash flow, sales growth and bottom line earnings growth. If you can track back your marketing efforts to any of those things, you wil score big.

You must first answer the question, "How does this work produce cash flow?" As a former marketing leader I worked for once said, "Marketing exists to help salespeople sell more easily." So if you want markting to get the budget it deserves, you need to change the conversation with your CEO.

You must talk in terms of topline sales groth or bottom line earnings growth. You must care about ROI and have an infrastucture in place to measure it and track it back to specific markting efforts. You must say that your marketing activity will manage the lead pipeline, overcome price pressures, or help the sales funnel flow faster and reduce the time it takes to get from Lead to Sale.

So, where does this leave branding? The psychological, awareness activity? The activity that cannot be so easily tracked to the sales P.O. or the purchase decisions? We all know branding can work powerfully, but how do we prove it?

What I've always said is this: Branding and awareness activities in and of themselves do not drive sales. You can not just stop there and hope to move a person down the line towards the purchase decision. The buying process has 4 phases before getting to sale: Awareness, Consideration, Evaluation and Purchase. But...effective branding and awareness upfront will increase the ROI and effectiveness of your more "direct" marketing efforts later on. It provides air cover and context to all your direct marketing activity. If you try to do just the direct marketing efforts (a webcast invite, an email campaign, etc.) with no awareness or branding leading up to them, it's like burning money.

Think about it this way: You as a businss need to earn the right to show up in someone's email box. You need to earn the right to offer a special deal. You need to earn the right to get them to spend their precious time and money coming to your event. How can you do this if they don't know who the heck you are? It's like some sales guy showing up at your door during dinner. Who invited him?

You earn this right the old fashioned way: by introducing yourself to them and letting them know who you are, what you are about and what value you offer. That's branding and awareness. That's what advertising started out doing (before the Internet). No, you may not close the sale from just branding, but neither do you propose marriage on a first date You have to earn that right. If you "date" for a while, they will be much more receptive to your proposal than if you get down on one knee on the first blind date.

That is the function of branding. Creating an image, a story, fulfilling a need in the prospect's eyes over time, so that when you want them to act (attend an event, trial a product, purchase) they will already know you, love you, and most importanly, trust you. And that is what makes the money spent on those direct marketing efforts a better investment, yielding better returns. Spending $50,000 to get $5,000 in sales is less impessive to a CEO than spending $250,000 on combined branding and direct marketing efforts and getting $2,500,000 in sales, don't you think?

Top 10 Tips for Effective Branding and Messaging

2009-10-16T17:58:00.000-07:00

A helpful primer with some top branding tips I've culled over the years. Have some others? Would love to see them in the comments!

1. Know yourself, know your business

A good brand stems from authenticity. This means being consistent in messaging, visuals, and experience and not just giving lip service. If you claim customer service is your most important differentiator, then return calls and emails in a reasonable amount of time and don’t leave people in an automated telephone maze to get the help they need. If you claim quality, you had better make sure your goods are up to snuff. No one likes to be lied to and no one likes when their experiences fall short of expectations. Apple's hip brand works because of their quality, design, and cutting-edge products that set trends and push the boundaries. They deliver on their brand promise.

2. Make your customer real

Determine your ideal customer and market to that person. Don't aim for some amorphous blob of people out there - make it about one customer (or a persona for all the different customers you serve) and pretend you are talking to that person. Know their likes, dislikes, where they live, where they work, what magazines they like to read. The more detail you can put around this picture, this persona, even if you have a few different customer groups, the more relevant and on-target your marketing and communications will be. When you try to reach everyone, you become relevant to no one because you are too generic and vanilla.

3. Invest your marketing dollars wisely

Only invest in marketing programs that make sense. Duh - this seems obvious, but don’t buy that booth at the show unless you know your potential customers will be there. Even if it costs just $200, it's a wasted $200 if the 5000 people in attendance will never buy your product. Do the research, ask the questions. Go where your customers are, don’t expect them to come to you just because you think it would be “cool” to be at that event or produce that radio spot. If your ideal customers don’t have time to watch TV, don’t invest in producing that ad.

4. Give meaning to your “look”

Work with a brand strategist or gifted designer who understands how placement, typography, and color all work together consciously and subconsciously to communicate a message. Ensure you really map out the message you wish to convey before you create the materials or graphic elements to convey it.

5. Give brand marketing a chance to work

People need to experience things multiple times before they stick. Be clear but be consistent – they need to see your message about 7 times before they remember it. The Nike swoosh did not create meaning overnight but Nike spent years and lots of money making that mark mean something to people. Don’t expect one ad to get you to your sales targets, or a website to get you all your customers. Branding is not the same as direct response marketing – it takes time and it should be integrated across all your customer touch points. Of course, if you need to course correct if it’s not working, you can do that, but don’t change it up every month – you may be sick of your own messaging after 2 months, but others will not have had a chance to absorb it. Do the work upfront to make sure your message is on target and stick with it.

6. Be realistic

If you can’t afford to produce luxury goods or services, don’t market them as such. People still need cheap, efficient, no-frills products and services on certain occasions. Just find your audience niche and market to them only what you can provide realistically to them specifically.

7. Create a style guide

When you design a website or a logo, ensure the designers leave you with a Style Guide that has all your colors used (in PMS, HEX, CMYK), font types and sizes, any copy guidelines (ie, we never use contractions, we use a very playful, snarky tone), layout guidelines, graphic guidelines (do we use photos or illustrations?) etc. This will help you maintain consistency when you either need to do things yourself or have others step in and make changes, do other projects, etc. This should be part of your operational guidelines and shared with any employees or partners who do visual/written work with you.

8. Understand trademark and copyright

Anything you put in a fixed form is automatically copyrighted by you, whether you file for the copyright or not, as long as you can prove when they were first used. This means copy, presentations or articles. But names or logos might need to be trademarked. If you come up with any branded product or service names, at least do an online trademark search at www.uspto.gov – this includes company name and taglines. Doesn’t mean you have to necessarily file for a trademark, but at least you will know what is already in use to avoid getting sued or being asked to cease and desist. And always consult a trademark lawyer on whether you should or should not trademark certain things. Better to spend some time and money to check up front on usage before investing lots of money on naming or design, only to be told to cease and desist by someone already using those things.

9. Keep the end in mind

When getting a logo designed, keep in mind how you will use it. This can save you money in the long run. Will it always be shown in digital format, or do you plan to print it out or place it on promotional items? This will help you determine if you need a 4-color logo or 2-color logo. It is often more expensive to print 4-color than 2-color or even black and white. Also, ensure you are using mostly standard PMS or CMYK colors so as to avoid needing to pay extra for custom print colors. And think about how your logo will show up at both big and small sizes. A very minutely detailed logo may not reproduce well on websites or in event programs at a very small size.

10. Use known analogies

If you are introducing something new or unfamiliar to your target audience, try to use analogies to help them make the connections more quickly. Take what it known and convey that meaning for quick comprehension. Here’s an excerpt from the fabulous book Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath:

“When the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) was trying to convey that movie popcorn was unhealthy, all their statistics and facts caused most people's eyes to glaze over. So the CSPI called a press conference on September 27, 1992. Here's the message it presented: "A medium-sized 'butter' popcorn at a typical neighborhood movie theater contains more artery-clogging fat than a bacon-and-eggs breakfast, a Big Mac and fries for lunch, and a steak dinner with all the trimmings — combined!"

The folks at CSPI didn't neglect the visuals — they laid out the full buffet of greasy food for the television cameras. An entire day's worth of unhealthy eating, displayed on a table. All that saturated fat stuffed into a single bag of popcorn.

The story was an immediate sensation.”

Screening Sales Leads for More Productive Reps

2009-10-14T08:27:00.000-07:00
Let me put my B2B marketing hat on here. I recently chimed in on a Linked In discussion about leveraging outside firms or inside sales teams to help set appointments/screen leads for experienced sales reps. I have used both methods to great success - and a few failures - and want to share them with you. Some of this could apply if you sell consumer products via direct sales reps as well.

Many account execs these days have moved from a strict "feature-function-benefit" sale to a more "customer-centric selling" technique. This used to be called "solution selling" and there is a great book on this topic if you want to learn more. For those of you not familiar with this from enterprise software, this means that the rep acts more like a consultant and detective and less like a "hard sale" pusher - they take the time to get to know the person's business, ferret out their pain points, find ways to measure value and then build a solution/package that meets the person's needs. They have strategic business-level conversations, rather than getting down in the weeds on features and functions. This is a much more collaborative and consultative relationship that can yield future sales down the line, since the client sees you as a partner.

Many firms with dedicated, "high-touch" sales reps sometimes hire outside firms to either telemarket for leads or screen incoming leads for real opportunities. This allows the account execs to focus more on relationships, building value, strategic partnering and business solutions - rather than cold calling and wasting their time with "tire kickers' who will never buy.

I've used both external firms and inside sales teams for this function. Aaron Ross is a great consultant who built a top-notch Inside Sales team at Salesforce.com and now helps organizations refine their sales processes to get results. I've worked with him in the past and he's great. Vanella Group is also a wonderful prospecting firm full of professionals who used to be big whig sales execs and know how to find real opportunities (she doesn't use people right out of college to do this kind of prospecting and screening).

Here's what I have learned are the keys to making it work:

1) Have buy in from Sales leadership: The key factor is aligning with sales and ensuring the Sales VP is on board, has a say in the selection of the firm/new hire, helps define which leads are "appt worthy" and actively enforces good follow-up behavior among his/her reps. If the Sales leader is not on board and enforcing the process but its all coming from marketing, you're dead in the water.

2) Nail Down a Clear Process: Sales needs to be well-informed about the initiative, know what the next steps need to be and how the whole process will be measured. Create a clear appointment-sales-rep handoff process so nothing falls through the cracks (put your operations hat on, create a process flow with decision points for all parties and ensure all reps know and agree)

3) Track and Measure. We had appointment setters who could enter the lead directly into our salesforce.com (SFDC) sales and marketing automation system. If a rep did not follow up or take the appt, we knew exactly when and who and could call them out. We also could track leads through to the sale from this initiative by using SFDC's analytics.

4) Agree on What Makes a Qualified Lead: Ensure the definitions of a "qualified lead" worthy of an appointment are clearly understood and agreed to between marketing and sales so no one wastes time or money. This misunderstanding is one of the biggest reasons such initiatives fail. Have clear criteria for both sides on what makes a lead appointment-worthy. For example, we had company size, level of the person, if they were going to spend on a solution within 6 months, etc. as part of this criteria.

5) Maintain Accountability: Track all your activity to generate the lead and appt, so that if sales drops the baton, misses the appointment or doesn't dollow up, you can know this and can remedy it quckly.

6) Make a Superstar That Others Will Follow: Celebrate success by enlisting the help of a well-respected, successful rep to "try the system out" and when he/she gets a win, promote it broadly. Reps will only spend time doing things that they know for a fact will yield commissions.

7) Put Communication Channels in Place: Ensure you have a process in place for the outside firm to make the appt and the rep to KEEP the appt. I've seen outside firms make appts and not clearly communicate time, date, etc to the rep (or not know which rep to send it to). There needs to be a mechanism to quickly check the rep's availability so the prospect is not left hanging. I allowed my outside firm to send emails directly to my reps, even though they would put the lead in the system, just to ensure the appt was kept.

8) You Need More than People Who Can Dial a Phone: You need experienced sales reps who can listen, overcome objections and ferret out opportunities and pain points. They need to know what to listen for, how to ask probing questions and how to get past gatekeepers and talk about value. Again, Vanella Group does a great job with this.

Marketing Tools, Advice and Real Ideas You Can Use

2009-10-12T13:58:00.000-07:00
Promo time: Seattle business owners, there are a few spots still left for our Oct 28 workshop, Ignite Your Marketing. Forget the fluff and hype: Whitney Keyes and I provide real, actionable, easy marketing advice that will save you thousands of dollars of time and money - and will increase visibility, press and sales for your biz or brand. Whether you are a coach, author, winemaker, boutique owner, internet marketer, lawyer, real estate agent, software company, or eRetailer - this class is not to be missed!

We'll start work IN CLASS on a 10-step brand strategy exercise, demystify all the marketing terms and tactics out there, and focus your efforts (and $) on what will have the most impact on increasing sales. You'd be crazy not to attend this class with 2 experienced marketing consultants and all their bags of tricks for just $225.

Plus, lots of tips on how to score free or almost free marketing and publicity!

All attendees get a marketing jumpstart kit full of tips to get exposure, easy ways to market yourself at low cost, planning templates, and other cool goodies valued at over $600 - who says you can't build your own marketing plan quickly, easily and with minimal effort?Register by October 10 and you'll ALSO be entered to win Nancy Juetten's Bye Bye Boring Bio Action Guide, valued at $49

Register now, people - this is a crazy good deal and a dynamic workshop you will love.

Product Placement - What Do You Think?

2009-10-05T09:00:00.000-07:00
It's all the rage, what with DVR's and TiVo - to try to get your product into the set of a program/movie or used by a celeb. It's more of a soft sell, the product is shown in context, people don't zap through it, and you can associate your product with a hot new star or show.

Would love to hear what all of you out there think about product placement (intentional or otherwise) in general, or about such marketing opportunities.

In a story reminiscent of actors being discovered in line at the bank, Angie, one of the owners of a local Seattle online boutique The Crafty Devils, was contacted by a movie prop manager about one of her bags. The movie turned out to be the mega hit "Twilight" and the rest is history. Other examples are Eileen Shields Footwear, whose shoes made it onto the feet of Cythia Nixon in "Sex and the City", and a Claire V. handbag featured on "Desperate Housewives." And these are all unpaid examples. Companies can still try to pay for product placement - I even read in the WSJ that many brands like Barilla Pasta are now paying for placement in infomercials for related products (cookware).

Overall, it's a myth that only big brands can have product placement success - and that it always has to be paid placement. More often than not, if you have some buzz going about your small biz, a prop manager somewhere might hear about you. Many small businesses are hiring PR firms that specialize in product placement or brand integration who get the hottest new finds in front of people like prop managers. Places like Hero Entertainment Marketing or Ostrow Alliances have divisions now specifically designed to help small businsses. They say that after the publicity fees, the placement can cost as little as a few free or discounted samples. And this might be even more effective than paying for the placement like the big guys do - if the prop manager thinks the product is a good fit for the character, this is much more authentic.

But if you are a small business especially....you have to leverage the exposure by promoting it yourself, because you can't flash your URL or address up during the show. Promote "as seen in..." on your website; do a press release; take out an ad that talks about this; put up in-store signage; create postcards; contact local press, etc.

So for small or large businesses alike who offer products: as you build your 2010 marketing plans, try to include opportunities beyond traditional advertising to get your big break - whether you need to pay for the exposure itself or for a publicist. Get creative. You can also continually try to get your product on "Oprah" - and we all know the stories of what happens to small businesses when they get this little boost. If you are not sure where to start, talk to your PR firm or contact a product placement expert and see if you can pay for just an hour or two of consultation on the subject. The cash register rings may be worth the effort and expense.

Ask the Expert: PR Expert Nancy Juetten with Reasons Why Having a Fabulous Bio in Today's Demanding Times is Absolutely Essential

2009-10-02T09:00:00.000-07:00
Red Slice had an excellent chat with PR powerhouse Nancy Juetten of Main Street Media Savvy. Nancy helps businsses get seen, heard and celbrated in their own backyards and beyond. She just came out with a fabulous new tool, Bye Bye Boring Bio Action Guide, for crafting a winning personal bio that tells your story, gains killer exposure and scores points wih the press. We sat down to talk about what a well-crafted bio can do for your press opps and business.

RS: Hi Nancy. So, really, how important is your bio? Who reads those on websites anyway?

NJ: People do business with people they like, trust and respect. It is essential to share who you are, why you are qualified, and why it matters with a few lines of well-chosen text that tell your story in a compelling, inviting way. A bio is an efficient and essential tool to share this information so the right people will pay attention. If you are serious about speaking on the radio, commenting for the media, or getting invited to speak in exchange for professional fees, you must have a bio that makes clear the value you bring and why it matters right now.

Also, consider this: The US department of labor reported recently that 15 states are still experiencing double digit unemployment.
2) 27 million people are in some stage of "escaping from cubicle nation" to start and grow businesses of their own.
3) Plenty more are seeking out side incomes to stay afloat in this demanding economy

These circumstances have people looking for a way to stand out from the crowd so they can get the chance to dance and get on with their life's work NOW. Don't be boring and boilerplate with your message. Be magnetic and really great to invite more of the right opportunities.

Check your web site stats to find out how many people are reading your bio. Chances are the numbers are higher than you would have first thought. If your bio is "boilerplate" and boring, take the time to revise it to be "really great" and inviting. Then, when your ideal customers land here first and love what they read, they won't be able to stop themselves from reading more, sending you an email, or dialing the phone to discuss how to benefit from how you serve.

This bio for Patricia Fripp is one of my favorites:

Patricia Fripp is an award-winning speaker, sales presentation trainer, and executive speech coach who delights audiences, electrifies executives who speak, and transforms sales teams. Meetings and Conventions magazine calls Patricia “one of the country’s 10 most electrifying speakers.” Kiplinger’s Personal Finance says, “Patricia Fripp’s speaking school is the sixth best way you can invest in your career.” She is also the author of Make It! So You Don’t Have to Fake It and Get What You Want. Learn more at www.patriciafripp.com.

Right off the bat, you know who she is, what she does, and for whom. It is clear that she delivers stunning results. She offers sassy sound bites that lend credibility to her offering. She makes it easy for the reader to learn more and buy. This is a winning recipe that works for radio station interviews, website bios, speaker introductions, and more.

RS: Will people think you're not professional if your bio is too playful and personal?

NJ: I heard an executive from Microsoft quip, "Social media isn't a job. It's a lifestyle." In today's information overloaded world, where messages of 140 characters speak volumes about the sender, we all have to be mindful about the quality and texture of information we share in our bios and social networking profiles. My advice is to share information that is relevant and magnetic for your ideal customers to know, while also sharing a bit about who you are so the reader can form an opinion about who you really are. Are you an irrepressible entreprenuer? Are you someone who is known for having an endless supply of great ideas? Are you a
risk taker who loves sky diving, roller coasters, and more? If you try to be all things to all people, you end up being too little of the right things for the right people. Have courage to declare who you are, how you add value, and why you are an essential ingredient for success in your niche, and you'll invite more of the right
opportunities.

RS: Sounds a lot like what Red Slice says about branding in general. Better to appeal strongly to the people who matter than blandly to many more who don't. So how will a better crafted bio help me get more exposure and speaking engagements?

NJ: A radio station producer for a nationally syndicated talk show told me last week that the bios guests send in are often long, boring, and not well suited for radio. The downside for the guest is that the radio station producer likely doesn't have time to re-write the bio to be suitable, so she likely captures key words and runs with it. It is far better for you to provide a few lines of well-worded text to introduce you in the perfect way than to relinquish control to someone who doesn't care nearly as much about your story or your success as you do. It's your story. Tell it well.

What most people want is the chance to to do what we really love with our time and our lives. At the same time, most of us fear being anonymous, not being heard, or toiling away in obscurity. And, if being seen, heard and celebrated in the media is on your priority list, a great bio is your calling card to qualify to tell your story so the right people will listen and take action. No matter where you stand on the continuum -- from seeking a perfect assignment or getting known for your winning ways in your own backyard and beyond -- a great bio isn't just something to put on the "to do" list. It is absolutely essential, now more than ever.

Folks who struggle can find help with the Bye-Bye Boring Bio Action Guide. I highly recommend checking this out, and I've already put some of the lessons learned here into practice for my clients. And those who need a guiding hand from a PR expert to turn their ideas into a few lines of well-worded, magnetic text can consider signing up for an Extreme Bio Makeover.

Frenemies

2009-09-30T10:06:00.000-07:00
Befriend the competition? Mon Dieu! But smart companies are learning how to partner up and play nice to everyone's business can grow.

My good buddy Whitney Keyes like to cite a story of a local Seattle chocolatier who needed to find an innovative way to incease customers. The solution? Partner with the other local chocolatiers in town (the horror!) and create a Chocolate Tour that would stop at all the stores and educate people on the history of this divine treat. The result was increased business for everyone, and a great press opportunity to ptich to local papers.

When we combine efforts, we can offer much more value to potential customers than we can going it alone. How exciting would a tour have been for just one chocolate company? But when you can offer multiple options and a more robust benefit to people, they will see more bang for their buck and will respond.

Some other local businesses often partner with complimentary companies if they go after a similar demographic. For example, Trophy Cupcake here in Seattle just had an event on Saturday with local boutique Show Pony. The two have similar target audiences and decided to pair up and offer a trunk show, complete with cupcakes and shopping. Similar target audiences, different products = a more robust offering to attract people. Lululemon Athletic here in Seattle often partners with organizations that reach the same female demographic to conduct parties and workshops in-store - life coaches, networking groups, etc.

This might seem like a simple idea, but many companies - large and small - do not take advantage. My guess is because of fear. Fear of "losing" money to "the other guy"; fear of promoting someone else's product over their own. "But what if they buy his product and not mine?" Wah.

Get out of your own way, people. If foot traffic has gone down to your store or website or your reps are stalled on deals, what do you have to "lose"? It can't get worse, right? When you can offer a more complete bundle to people, they see more value - maybe they wouldn't have bought from you or your partner company by itself but together, they are willing to spend even more money combined. Think about it from the customer's point of view, not from protecting your own fiefdom.

I often do workshops with other marketing consultants. (One will be coming up in late October in Seattle, so stay tuned!). Technically, we are competitors but not really - we all have different stenghts. Together, we offer a valuable workshop to which neither of us alone could have attracted as many people.

Try it. Think about the businesses that complement your goods or services. Are you a roofing company who can partner with plumbers, electricians, etc. to refer business (see the 9/28 WSJ SmallTalk column in print, Section R)? Are you a florist who can partner with a jewelry store or spa around Valentine's Day? Are you a software developer who can partner with another software company who sells a different product to the same audience as you? Are you perosnal stylist who can partner with a career coach or dating site to help people put their best foot forward? Are you a department store who can partner with a local designer to expand your product offerings at a Preview Party?

I challenge you to put one partnership/coopetition tactic into your marketing plan for 2010 - or even Q409. You will be surprised at how much value you will generate.

Ignite Your Marketing! October 28, Seattle

2009-09-29T12:37:00.000-07:00
Seattle-area business owners: Whitney Keyes and I are back presenting Ignite Your Marketing on Ocober 28, 2009 in Fremont from 6-9 pm. All info is here.

If you are serious about growing your business, wading through the marketing mumbo jumbo, and focusing your time and money on what will really increase sales, you need to be here. We're presenting a fresh, dynamic look at building a brand strategy, smart marketing planning tips, how to get free (or almost free) publicity - and we're including a robust Marketing Jump Start Kit, with tips, tools and tricks (and 2 eBooks) to help you manage the marketing maze. This Kit is a $600 value and is free to attendees.

Here's what people said about our last joint workshop:
"Great overview to move forward with my business and our marketing"
"Great job! I really learned a lot and will benefit greatly from the advice and tips"
"Packed with info!"
"Really great class! I learned so much."

If you like wasting hours and dollars on marketing that doesn't get any results, please skip this. But if you want to make sense of the mayhem out there and only focus your energies (and strict budgets) on buidling a strong brand and doing things that move the needle, this practical primer and power shot of marketing education, tips, and ideas is for you. Heck, pick our brains for 3 hours with all your questions and challenges.

Space is limited, so sign up pronto. Go here for more info and to register. All systems go!

How NOT to get a city on your side

2009-09-27T17:27:00.001-07:00
Chase bought Washington Mutual last year and entered the Washinton State market with a pretty big advertising and branding campaign. Unfortunately, I am not sure what message they were trying to send to Washingtonians in the process.

Washington Mutual (WaMu) was an established Washington state institution, where many people earned their living and did their banking - especially in Seattle. WaMu had embarked on very colorful branding campaigns in recent years that I truly admired for being so different from all the other banks out there. Playful, irreverent and a touch hip, these ads made the bank stand out from a sea of look alike competitiors that touted trust, reliability, and formality. They touted friendly, approachable service and mocked other banks' fees. This is one of my faves.

Chase as a brand could not be more different from WaMu. Talk about a culture clash. Although, many of Chase's TV ads in the last year, I must admit, have been a bit of a departure from staid, boring bank ads with some pretty sweet soundtracks and a sense of energy.

So now Chase takes over WaMu and breezes into town last year. In Seattle , I started seeing bus boards and billboards everywhere a while ago. They made ample use of the Chase blue branding (good move) and used simple headlines and graphics (another good move.) Where it falls down is that the campaign essentially insults all Washingtonians. The headlines have a very insulting tone, implying that us morons in Washington State never knew good, responsible banking until Chase came and saved the day. The headlines include "Let's start banking better, Washington." And that is one of the least offensive. There was lots of buzz initially on the internet from miffed Washingtonians on this issue.

I'm not normally overly sensitive to ads. But even I, a New Yorker by birth, immediately bristled at the insinuation Chase was making. I pictured a fat-cat, middle-aged, paunchy White guy behind a large mahogany desk, "You guys are completely clueless and you don't know how to handle your money, " (patronizing sigh, perhaps some eye rolling) "Let us "big city folk from New York City show you how it's done so we can save you from yourselves, you idiots." Really? A bank telling me how to handle my money after the year we just had? REALLY? And I'm not even a WaMu customer in the first place.

The way to win friends and influence people in a region where you've just taken over a proud state institution and conducted layoffs is not to insult people into liking you. Maybe a softer, "We're proud to be here and call Washington our new home. We want to help you get through this financial mess together...." Blah, blah. Anything would be better. Their transition site does a better job with messaging than their ads - if you ever get that far before you angrily switch all your accounts over to Wells Fargo. And it seems that site had problems as well from a usability standpoint.

Branding - especially when you are new in town and facing a hostile and scared mob - needs to be better thought out and integrated among the advertising messaging, the online experience, and most importantly, in the actual customer experience. You have to make the promise consistently (and in a way that does not irk people) and then follow-through on the dellivery of services. In my opinion, Chase fell down with the brand ad messaging here before they even left the gate. Follow this example and you may as well rent a bus and drive your customers over to the competition's doorstep.

What Men Don't Tell Women About Business

2009-09-24T08:48:00.000-07:00
I heard a fascinating talk at a Ladies Who Launch event the other night that not only helps women business owners hear the secrets about what men think, but also provided some strong marketing and branding advice for any business owner.

Self-professed and reformed "Alpha Male" Chris Flett of GhostCEO was the speaker. GhostCEO helps mentor and coach women business owners by providing answers, not just asking questions like many other biz coaches. If you visit his personal vs. company website that promotes his best-selling book, What Men Don't Tell Women About Business, you will surely get a taste for his candid, brutally honest, no-holds barred, opinionated style. He's provocative, I'll give him that.

OK, I admit I was a bit skeptical . My first thought was that this guy has treated women in business badly (self-admitted) in the past and now here he is trying to make money by acting like he's on their side? I also hate when women play the "gender" card in business and act like that is why they can't get ahead when I see so much self-sabotage out there. But I left thinking, "Yes, this guy has a giant ego but he's honest, has a good heart and his points are extremely valid." Plus, this is the guy that I want to listen to about business - someone who has created and sold successful businesses . I appreciate candidness in business, and this guy has it in spades. I don't mind arrogance if the person is successful and has a reason to be arrogant.

Why did he write the book (besides making money)? He felt that if he was going to give advice to a sister, daughter or other woman he loved before she embarked on a business career, what would he want her to know? At least if she's armed with the information, she can make good choices. This resonated with me (and then my skeptic said, "I'm sure that helps him sell more books!") But you know what? Who cares, if he's providing valuable info? That's a win-win.

So what did we talk about? Here are some highlights. Keep in mind these are provocative generalizations, and you may or may not agree but I don't doubt that these thoughts and behaviors are out there, as I've seen them myself - would love to get some comments going on this. As stated, some of this advice holds true to marketing and branding in general. Want more details and info? Buy the book.

Stop giving up your power: Women businesspeople give up their power all the time. With clients, vendors and colleagues. They don't ask for exactly what they want and when they do, they sugarcoat it or don't think big enough. Next time you discount for a client or let a vendor/employee railroad you, Chris says to think about what example you are setting for how women should be treated and would you treat a client/partner like that yourself? Taking poor treatment from others in business is not the message we want to send. And as far as brand goes, your personal conduct and reputation supports or negates your brand, so think about that.
Cycle each other up, not down: Men push each other to be greater. Women try to "out-miserable" each other. "Business is bad, I can't do this that or the other." "Oh, that's nothing. MY business is suffering from....I can't.....etc." Men tend to cycle each other up since Alpha males especially do not want to engage in "loser behavior." Women tend to cycle each other down. Listen to the language you use with each other and set a better example. Men tend to pick each other up along the way, even if the other guy sucks because you never know when you need favor. Chris adds this is why men love The Godfather so much: the honor code is huge.
Never bring up personal issues or family. Not sure I agree 100%, but his point is business is business and personal is personal. I worked with an Alpha Male that followed this philosophy and was seen as untrustworthy and secretive (turned out he was). Chris advises never bringing up family unless the guy brings it up first - and most Alphas will not. And personal issues at work? A no-no. Especially not the "If you had kids, you'd understand why I can't make deadlines. You are not being fair," comment a guy friend of mine got from a female colleague. Seriously.
Give information differently to men vs. women. Chris told a great story about a financial planner who gave him the bottom line and let him go, but spent 3 hours with his wife going through the process. Men need "what"; women need "how." Alpha males are goal-driven and care about how much money they can make with the least amount of effort. Women often want to also hear about the process. This also applies to the language you use. Retailers are much more successful with Alpha males when they say, "Let me know how I can assist you" vs. "How can I help you?" Alpha males don't need "help" - and it puts you in the weaker position of "helper."
Ask for what you want, not what you think you can get. Strong men love strong women who ask for what they want. If you want to do business with an Alpha, be bold, be concise and think big. Don't think "how", think "why" and then find people who can show you. Confidence is key. Chris advises answering 3 questions nefore talking business with an Alpha Male (and this is true for your marketing messages as well): What do you do? Why does it matter? Why do I care? If you can't answer that for an Alpha male (or a customer), you will lose them.
Excuses don't matter, Outcomes do. Alphas care about results. So when you're late, don't bore them with all the reasons why; just sit down and promise it won't happen again. Move on to your next course of action, not the "why" of what came before. Again, Alphas don't care about process, they care about outcomes.
Keep secrets. The secret keeper is the most powerful person in business. And you will be tested by Alphas, Chris says, with half-truths from time to time so they can see if it comes back around.
Don't engage in open war. Hold your cards close to the vest when being openly attacked and don't engage on their level of reaction. Tell them to "go take a moment and pull themselves together" if you need to diffuse the situation. Women especially need to practice not getting emotional at times like these.
Business is not fair. But you can choose to do business with fair people. You have to have boundaries.
Ask for endorsements. Don't be shy about asking for referrals, endorsements and references from those you work with. If you do a good job for them, they will be glad to offer it and this kind of word of mouth is key to growing your business.
Always have a Plan B. Pursue your business, but always have something cooking on the back burner. You need a backup plan.
Chris also goes into some common slang terms used by Alpha Males and what they mean, such as "piker", "kill it and bill it" and "boat anchor" but I siggest you pick up the book to learn more.
Overall, a fascinating talk that gave me lots to think about and react to. But you can't deny that knowing the game is half the battle to winning the game.

When Brand Advertising Goes Bad

2009-09-21T12:00:00.000-07:00
Catching up on some football this weekend, a TV ad provoked such ire in me, that I had to share.

Before I reveal it, let me defend why I have such strong feelings. Marketing and branding has rceived such a bad rap over the years as litle more than "pretty pictures" and wasted budget. OK, this might be a bit of an exaggeration, but I've never not had to fight and claw my way through an expenditure justification meeting with a CFO. And I get it, I really do. There has been such misguided marketing shoveled out over the years (and I admit, I shoveled my share of it, too). And you can't just spend money with no ROI - you need to be able to track and manage ROI on any investment you make. That's just sound business, and while I might be in marketing, I did earn a business degree so I understand that the name of the game, at the end of the day, is revenue.

So I have spent my career learning to be a diligent "measurer." Whether that's tracking website visits, leads, conversion rates, unaided recall, PR hits, focus groups, etc. the Type A in me has always enjoyed the challenge of proving that marketing - when it's done right - should affect the bottom line and is not all fun and games. It takes a lot of skill to tap into people's needs and prompt them to act. Yes, sometimes it still all falls down because of product quality, a flawed business model or some sales reps who can't seem to close the deal - but you can only control what you can control, right?

And then, I see advdertising like I did this past weekend. And I want to slap somebody. Hard.

Pacific Life is running a TV ad that I'm sure cost a pretty penny. It's an ad showing dolphins jumping up out of the ocean, set to an epic soundtrack. Then, the Pacific Life product categories (annuities, etc.) flash across the screen for about a second and the commercial ends. Someone feels so smug about this ad, they actually have it on the home page of their website, titled Dancing Whales.

What the.....?!

Yes, the logo has a whale on it. Yes, whales are cute and I like watching them. Yes, I believe that not all ads should be dry, feature-function-benefit informercials, but can showcase a lifestyle or an attitude. But whose idea was it to say, "Hey, our logo has a whale! Let's spend money on a 30-second spot with jumping whales and that will definitely show people a) why we're different from every other financial services company out there; b) will help people get to know our values; and c) entice them to contact their Pacific Life rep today!"

This is indeed what happens when people that think marketing and advertising are easy make decisions. OK, maybe I'm being harsh for comedic effect, but truly: how does this ad in any way help them differentiate, tell their story, show me what value I get from being their customer, or all of the above?

I call this the "Perfume ad conundrum" You know how some perfume ads have gone so far down the lifestyle branding path that their abstract ads are now mocked for being pretentious and nonsensical? That's a result of someone saying, "Consumers are dumb, If we just put 30 seconds of (enter adjective here) up onthe screen, will associate us with (insert same adjective) and we will be 'branded'."

Uh uh. Not how it works. A good branding campaign does not forget the fundamentals of communication and marketing: value propositions (even if you just focus on 1 per ad, as Apple doesso well), differentiation (how can only this company provide what they are promising?), and clear mssaging (can I understand exactly what they are telling me?)

Ok, you could argure that I remembered this ad and am ranting about it, so didn't it work? Um, not all talk is good talk that makes people buy your stuff. Many "water cooler" ads are ones in which the gossipers can't remember which company they were even for, so how does that help people spend their money on you?

So, yes, I get a little out of joint when I see millions of dollars being spent by big companies that should have experienced marketing professionals who know better. Otherwise, it just makes it that much harder for those of us who value the depth and discipline of marketing to get our budgets approved. It's bad enough that brand marketing is cited as pretty fluff (when execs are being kind) and a money sinkhole (when they are not) - can't those of you blessed to get your budgets approved practice it at a more worthy level that positively impacts the bottom line?

"The Consumer is Not an Idiot. She is Your Wife."

2009-09-15T11:14:00.000-07:00
Years later, this mantra of ad great David Ogilvy still rings true. Award-winning creative and chairman of Droga5, Dave Droga did an interview with WSJ. Magazine this past weekend and had some good insights into today's marketing landscape. Droga's agency was behind the UNICEF Tap Project and the hilarious Great Schlep campaign video with Sarah Silverman, convincing Jewish Obama supporters to visit their grandparents in Florida and sway their votes.

Here are some gems from the article:

"The key to good advertising is knowing when to talk to the customer and when not to." His point being marketing needs to be much more of a 2-way conversation with your customers - so you need to stop talking and shut up and listen every now and again to create a relevant brand. Advertising has moved beyond nice, neat digestable, 1-way 30-second spots or print ads to campaigns that are much more interactive and conversational.
On David Ogilvy's famous quote: Companies need to understand what role their brand plays in people's lives and not assume customers can or need to be spoon-fed something inauthentic. From my agency days, I loved when execs were afraid that the campaign was "too smart" for their audience and they wouldn't "get it." Even if the profile/demo of their audience clearly showed us that they would.
On not wanting an "agency style:" His point being he didn't want to create a cookie-cutter Droga style that would make clients say, "Do for me what you did for X brand." This just means you are borrowing someone else's brand even if it does not fit you. "Eventually you end up giving everyone else fake versions of someone else's DNA," he says. Yes, we all want the success of Apple's brand. But - tough love for companies who think all this takes iss slick advertising - we are not all living, eating and breathing the Apple motto and playbook inside and out - everything from products to R&D to policies to new hire requirements. You just can't fake it. Or you can, but only for so long and then people get mad.
"Online is amazing, but it is not in itself a solution:" The interactive dialogue can be fantastic but you can't always transfer marketing for other mediums onto the web. His point is that with all that opportunity, there is also the opportunity to be more annoying to people online. "Online" or "social media" is not a strategy; they are channels, or elements of the overall plan to reach your audience. And they need specific campaigns and creative that adapt to that channel and adapt to how information is consumed by your audience.
The "Human Response:" Droga says, regardless of the medium, the question you should ask with any marketing is "What response do I want with this? What emotion do I want to elicit?" So many businesses start with ideas for tactics first (I want a TV ad, I want a microsite, etc.) and don't think about what they actually want to achieve with each tactic, what action do they want the audience to take? Sometimes, the best approach is a simple one and if you have a clear response/emotion in mind, you can simplify your message and make it much, much more powerful.

The Brand Gap: Shifting your Marketing Appeals

2009-09-03T09:29:00.000-07:00
More from Marty Neumeier's great book The Brand Gap: Marketing appeals have shifted over time from the early part of the century. He walks through a timeline in the book:

1900 - Features - What it has?
1925 - Benefits - What it does?
1950 - Experience - What you'll feel?
2000 - Identification - Who you are?

While many products and services still focus on their offerings and differentiators, there has been a shift to brand as personal identity. What does owning or being seen with this product or service say about me? This all goes back to the concept of customers as "tribe." We as humans all want to belong to a tribe that meshes with our authentic self and also speaks to the person we want to be. You can call it a coolness factor, but it's more than that. Marty talks about focusing on the UBS rather than the USP, as traditional marketing dictates. USP is the Unique Selling Proposition of the product itself; UBS refers to the Unique Buying State of your customers. This means tapping into their current and desired state of mind/being. You can see this is much more of a customer-centric view about what they are thinking and feeling than what you want to tell them about your product or service. This is also why you absolutely must flesh out your audience intimately (their likes, dislikes, pains, aspitations), and not just as a demographic.

I once proposed to a software company I worked for that we focus on making our customers (the buyers in the company's IT department) "heroes." While our product had lots of fancy features and capabilities, it was more about the basic human need people have to provide the right answer at the right time while at work.. They are in a tense meeting and they are asked by the higher-ups about specific stats or performance analytics. At that moment in time, they want to provide answers; they don't want to look stupid. Our product helped them be "in the know." I proposed building a whole campaign around "Do you know...?Yes, I know..." and tailor the example information to different audiences and industries. Fundamentally, that was the state of mind we should have been speaking to from a brand perspective. The company did indeed adapt a variation of this for their branding and advertising strategy,which really focused on how people FEEL in their jobs, vs. what the product could DO.

Yes, eventually you do need to talk about the actual product or service - you can't get around that. But creating a higher level, aspirational brand message that speaks to the customer's condition and state of mind will really help you differentiate from feature-filled product checklists. This is especially important in B2B marketing, as we often forget there are people - real, live human beings - making the buying decision, even if you are selling to a company and not consumers.

What companies - besides Apple, Virgin, etc - do you feel do this well? Any examples from local businesses or smaller companies?

Pages Pick: The Brand Gap

2009-09-01T11:20:00.000-07:00
I devoured The Brand Gap by Marty Neumeier yesterday while on a long ferry ride. I had never heard of Marty and this book was recommended to me by a designer friend who told me my eBook echoed many of his concepts and philosophies. I highly suggest giving this digestible and practical primer a read if you can.

I'm going to break down some concepts from the book on the blog over the next week or so. But for today, let's just focus on his principle of brand as competitive differentiator. To avoid commoditization, you need to build a strong brand to enable you to ask for premium pricing as well as to create a predictable expectation and experience among your target audience. This is not to say that branding means creating only luxury brands - it just means people will pay for the soul, the experience, the "promise" of something, vs. a cookie-cutter substitute that does not really stand for anything.

He also talks a lot about how to structure brand building within your organization. The best structures are ones that still retain internal brand stewards to constantly monitor and educate on the brand, and ensure all touchpoints carry forth the promise. You can't "outsource" branding per se - you can only assemble a strong team to help you achieve branding success and execute on it. That would be like someone "outsourcing" their personality to a more likeable person. Your brand is what you are, so you have to walk the talk.

Ask the Expert: The Art of Good Copywriting

2009-08-25T14:45:00.001-07:00
You know how to read and spell, right? So how hard can writing really be? Well, Red Slice team member and writing "miracle worker" Emily Cohen and I sat down to talk about mistakes people make with their marketing copy, as well as different copy needs for different vehicles. Emily has done amazing work for technology and software companies and has that gift for being able to take a jumble of information from an interview with the product/company expert and turn it into a polished, cohesive piece - she makes it look easy!

RS: Hi Emily! Thanks for joining us. Are there differences in writing web copy vs. a brochure or solution brief? How do you approach copywriting for different vehicles?

EC: Actually, every type of marketing collateral or channel is different, and I approach each project with that in mind. Web copy must be punchy, concise, and should communicate directly to the reader, hitting the customers’ pain points and compelling them to contact the company for more information.

Often, that ‘more information’ is a brochure or solution brief, and this is where the company can address many of the initial questions and concerns that cross the customer’s mind. There is more real estate in which to explain the company’s product or solution in detail, and I strongly encourage clients to include specific customer examples or quotes to support the product’s benefits and competitive advantages. There are no stronger advocates for a company than its existing customers.

For even more detailed discussion, white papers are the perfect vehicle to help close the deal. This is where companies can step back, take an objective view of the market and their product, and overcome specific objections with technical facts. I counsel clients to keep their white papers to between 7-8 pages, however, as customers don’t stay focused on documents longer than that.

RS: What three mistakes do you see marketing professionals make when writing their own copy?

EC:. Great question! First, marketing professionals or business owners think no one can understand their product/service as well as they can because they are ‘inside’ and close to the product. And that’s exactly why they should enlist an outsider to write their copy. They are so close to the ‘in-think’ that they forget to put themselves in the customer’s shoes. Instead, if you have an objective eye review and ‘bulletproof’ your key messages, you can increase the credibility and market-worthiness of your copy—and directly impact your revenue.

The second mistake is that many marketing professionals or small business owners are just that, marketers, not writers. I often see copy that technically communicates the company’s product messages but is boring, uncreative, and grammatically incorrect. The worst offenders use exactly the same structure for every sentence in the document, often invoke the same verb two or three times in a sentence, and switch voice and tense throughout the document. Worse yet, they insist that marginally written copy won’t reflect negatively on the company and that customers will look beyond it. But, believe me, they won’t.

Finally, marketing professionals and business owners too often wait until the last minute to think about the collateral needed for a product release or launch. With their backs against the wall, they must rush through writing the copy, which impacts its quality. I strongly counsel my clients to consider all the copy they will need early in the process, to ensure that they end up with the highest quality, most impactful marketing collateral possible.

RS: Why are you so good at understanding complex technology concepts and translating them into ideas that business people can wrap their heads around?

EC. After 25 years in the industry, I’ve been involved in a large number of technology revolutions and trends. I began working in technology when IBM came out with its first PCs. More importantly, I’ve spent time on both sides of the industry. I started out in product management – working closely with R&D and engineering – and then moved to the marketing communications side. So I know how engineers think and I’m adept at translating ‘engineering-speak’ into terms that business people can understand.

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Red Slice is a branding, marketing and communications consultancy that helps organizations tell their story. We provide both strategic and tactical marketing support to small and mid-size companies. Let us help you engage, inform, and delight your target audience and keep them coming back for more. Visit us at www.red-slice.com

The Mad Men Have It Right

2009-08-18T13:24:00.000-07:00
Sorry for going dark....Red Slice was enjoying Hawaii!

Not sure who is a fan of Mad Men like I am - and don't give me a spoiler alert on the season premiere from Sunday, as I have recorded it. But aside from the killer outfits, in-office bars, chain smoking, and "kitchy" sexism, there is a lot to be learned from this show about marketing overall. The conversations on client creative and strategy are spot on. And the show does a great job of branding itself, as well - check out this post from the NY managing director of Landor Associates, a premiere branding firm, on how Mad Men as a show is also an authentic brand.

In last season's finale, ad man Don Draper gives a great line to the Brits who have just merged with his agency. They say they want to focus more on selling media space as there are more profits to be earned there, to which Don retorts, "I don't sell advertising. I sell products." We could all learn a lesson here.

I'm as much a softie for a good, smart, delightful ad as the next person. I eagerly watch the Super Bowl ads as much as the game itself. Working at an ad agency only fueled this appreciation. When an ad hits just the right tone, promotes just the right brand, and really resonates, I just go nuts. It's a good story, well told, in 30 seconds.

But at the end of the day, we all need to keep in mind something a good creative director friend once told me, "If it doesn't make people open their wallets and buy something, then it's not a good ad." We can discuss the merits of production value, humor, water-cooler-worthiness, quirkiness, and meaning until the cows come home (and I have). But while all of that is entertaining from a story-telling perspective, if it doesn't boost sales, I don't care how many awards it wins.

Those that get it really "right" are the ones that combine the delight, the meaning, the "coolness", the intrigue of the story into something that actually impacts the bottom line.

Who out there do you think is doing this today?

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Red Slice is a branding, marketing and communications consultancy that helps organizations tell their story. We provide both strategic and tactical marketing support to small and mid-size companies. Let us help you engage, inform, and delight your target audience and keep them coming back for more. Visit us at www.red-slice.com

Ask the Expert, Part 3: 3 tips for preparing for a speaking engagement or media interview

2009-08-03T14:08:00.000-07:00
Here's the 3rd of our 3 part interview with PR guru and personal presence consultant Bronwyn Saglimbeni. Today we talk about getting ready for your close-up.

RS: Thanks again, Bronwyn. What are 3 tips people can do to best prepare for their next speaking engagement or media interview?

BS: As mentioned in our first interview, always “Seek first to understand…” as Stephen Covey so famously says, and approach each opportunity from a place of deep empathy for the audience.

Next, set a clear intention for the opportunity. Ask yourself, “What do I want this audience to think, feel and do as a result of hearing me speak?”

Now approach your messages and content from this place, using vivid images, examples, stories, anything to help the listener remember what you’ve told them.

Read Part 1
Read Part 2

About Bronwyn:
For over 15 years, Bronwyn has worked with clients to improve their public speaking and media relations skills, challenging them to bring out more of themselves in their communications. Bronwyn is known for her playful, irreverent approach to coaching, combined with her knack for delivering “tough love” in a way that allows executives to achieve true breakthroughs. Bronwyn encourages clients to be authentic, engaging and approachable, which has resulted in successful interviews for clients in publications such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Businessweek; and successful television appearances including The Oprah Show, Home Shopping Network, CNBC, and American Idol.

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Red Slice is a branding, marketing and communications consultancy that helps organizations tell their story. We provide both strategic and tactical marketing support to small and mid-size companies. Let us help you engage, inform, and delight your target audience and keep them coming back for more. Visit us at www.red-slice.com

Ask the Expert, Part 2: The Unexpected Media Call and What to Do

2009-08-03T14:02:00.000-07:00
More from PR and personal presence guru Bronwyn Saglimbeni in the 2nd of our 3 part interview. Today we tackle unexpected calls from reporters and how to deal with them.

RS: Hi again Bronwyn. Early in my career during a crises, I got an unexpected call where a reporter tried to catch me off-guard - and I completely panicked, gave out too much info and got misquoted! How should entrepreneurs - or any businessperson, for that matter - handle an unexpected call from a reporter, especially if there is a crisis going on?

BS: The best thing to do is to ask for as much information as possible. Put aside your panic about whatever crisis is afoot, (or if you are not in a crisis, put aside your thrill at receiving that coveted call from the New York Times) and focus entirely on what the reporter is looking for, and the timing of his needs. It reminds me of my first fishing trip with my grandfather. He had finally caught a huge fish, and shouted to me, “RUN! Get the net!!” I was so gob smacked by the fish slapping around on the line, all I could do was stare. Needless to say, the fish got away. This reminds me of how people sometimes approach a press inquiry. They fail to hear the most critical pieces of the request, and spend the next few cycles navel gazing about what THEY want to say. By the time they’re ready, the reporter has moved on.

Stay tuned for Part 3 on Friday....!
Read Part 1

About Bronwyn:

For over 15 years, Bronwyn has worked with clients to improve their public speaking and media relations skills, challenging them to bring out more of themselves in their communications. Bronwyn is known for her playful, irreverent approach to coaching, combined with her knack for delivering “tough love” in a way that allows executives to achieve true breakthroughs. Bronwyn encourages clients to be authentic, engaging and approachable, which has resulted in successful interviews for clients in publications such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Businessweek; and successful television appearances including The Oprah Show, Home Shopping Network, CNBC, and American Idol.
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Red Slice is a branding, marketing and communications consultancy that helps organizations tell their story. We provide both strategic and tactical marketing support to small and mid-size companies. Let us help you engage, inform, and delight your target audience and keep them coming back for more. Visit us at www.red-slice.com

Ask the Expert: Bronwyn Saglimbeni helps you shine with the media (Part 1)

2009-08-03T13:50:00.001-07:00
Are you ready for your close-up? If not, Bronwyn Saglimbeni is your go-to gal. This PR guru is a media and personal presence consultant who helps entrepreneurs - especially women - get their story heard, and she prepares people for the media spotlight. She even helped the fourth American Idol judge polish her media presence for on-camera work.

We have so much good stuff with Bronwyn, that we are breaking this up into a 3-part interview.

RS: Hi Bronwyn! So nice to have you. What are the 3 most common mistakes people make when presenting in front of an audience or on air, and how does that impact the perceptions others have of them?

BS: Sadly, we often forget what a privilege it is to speak to an audience. Whenever people take time out of their day to listen to us, it is a tremendous opportunity to share information, ideas, and to inspire. Too often we approach these golden opportunities from a place of “what do I want to say? What are my key messages?” Me. Me. Me. In the right sequence, these are great questions to ask. But the first question must always be, “What does this audience need? What do I know that could help them?” and then ultimately, “How do I present this information so they can use it, remember it, and be inspired by it?” Once you have identified what the audience truly needs to know, then you can build your key messages around those needs.

Another common mistake is when someone undergoes a transformation for the worst when they go on camera or on stage. Suddenly, the spark of her personality goes dormant, and a very serious imposter emerges… the person she thinks she is supposed to be. It’s unclear to me why this magical transformation happens, but I believe it’s rooted in fear. It’s scary to be yourself with all eyes on you, especially if you’ve ever received messages in your life that “you” aren’t ok. Recently, I was talking with a genuinely kind, funny and thoughtful gentleman who was about to give a presentation. When he got up to present, it was like a different person walked out onto the stage. He went from easy-going to serious-as-a-heart-attack, and forced us (the audience) to endure 24 slides comprised entirely of text, and the occasional mind numbing chart. By the time he arrived at the “Questions?” slide, no one could remember anything about the presentation except that it was the longest 45 minutes of our lives. If he had approached his presentation with more empathy for the audience, bringing out more of his true personality, we all would have gotten so much more out of it.

The third mistake is relevant to television. For many people, television appearances can be terrifying. There are so many distractions happening in the studio. You might have a surly host, or arrive to an eerily quiet set, where no one is making an effort to make you feel at ease. Or perhaps you’re not used to speaking directly into the camera lens. As a result of this confusion and pressure, people arrive at the interview ready for battle, almost over-prepared, and focused entirely on answering the questions posed to them. The unfortunate result is that they fail to connect with the interviewer- the direct line to the audience. Turn on CNBC tomorrow morning and watch the satellite interviews. The people who make you forget they’re staring into a camera lens are those who have found a way to connect with the interviewer in a conversational, natural way.

Read Part 2
Read Part 3

About Bronwyn:

For over 15 years, Bronwyn has worked with clients to improve their public speaking and media relations skills, challenging them to bring out more of themselves in their communications. Bronwyn is known for her playful, irreverent approach to coaching, combined with her knack for delivering “tough love” in a way that allows executives to achieve true breakthroughs. Bronwyn encourages clients to be authentic, engaging and approachable, which has resulted in successful interviews for clients in publications such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Businessweek; and successful television appearances including The Oprah Show, Home Shopping Network, CNBC, and American Idol.

_________________________________________________

Red Slice is a branding, marketing and communications consultancy that helps organizations tell their story. We provide both strategic and tactical marketing support to small and mid-size companies. Let us help you engage, inform, and delight your target audience and keep them coming back for more. Visit us at www.red-slice.com

Branding is not a part-time job

2009-07-31T14:43:00.000-07:00
How can you control your brand amidst all the user-generated content on social media these days? Here's the last of my 3-part interview with Sima Dahl (@simasays) on branding. We talk about how the best way you can feel okay about letting go of your brand to the masses is to actually live up to your brand promise in everything you do. And to participate in that community early and often to help shape the message.

This is why developing a brand strategy is simple; living up to it takes a lot more vigilance and discipline. The best brands are not the best brands because they established themselves over night. They are the best because they deliver on their promises, because their products and services reflect the brand, and thousands of little touchpoints continually promote that consistent brand experience.

Once you have your brand strategy in place, you need to constantly check in and ensure all the touchpoints continually echo your message. Like a conductor, you need to make sure every single musician, down to the guy playing the triangle, plays off the same sheet music and blends harmoniously together so that the overture sounds like one amazing, unified piece of art.