Posts Tagged ‘brand strategy’

Every morning, amidst the editing, email answering, and frantic phone calls, I try to make space for a bit of news.  It keeps me fresh, relatively cogent, and up to date on what’s happening both in The Industry and in the wider world of politics, society and culture.  I subscribe to lots of aggregator type newsletters that cull the big advertising and media news of the day, and lately there’s been a spate of articles with headlines something like this:

• Frozen-meal marketing is radically different from that of ’60s TV dinners
• The bus bench doesn’t sit here anymore
• Polaris Marketing Research Survey Shows Phones Aren’t Just for Voice Anymore
• Merriam-Webster adds ‘tweet,’ other new words

These articles all have a kind of hand-wringy tone that I find striking.  New is here, and it’s scary.  We just can’t count on traditional frozen-meal marketing, Merriam-Webster, phones, traditional advertising, etc. etc. etc. anymore.

I’m sure my view is influenced by both my job as a marketing professional and the fact that I started my business at a time when the bottom seemed suddenly to have dropped out of everything traditional, reassuring, and good.  But honestly, new isn’t that bad.  (New isn’t even really that new, when you look at the underlying principles that make stuff work, but that might be another blog post).  In fact, the terror of New can be really invigorating to a company’s business processes, budgets, and attitudes.

We’re working a lot these days with a client who has seen their industry almost die in the past four years.  They have been pushed to the brink by financing issues, public opinion, and internal change…and they’ve pushed through and are dramatically recreating not just their outward-facing brand identity, but their methods of doing business.  The radical approach isn’t that radical on the one hand — they’re listening to their customers and leveraging an extremely conservative marketing budget.  But they’re facing new head-on, and any hand-wringing is soon replaced by acting, adapting, reaching, and growing.  I guess there’s no way of knowing what would have happened if New hadn’t come along to shake things up, but I like the changes I see and I think they do, too.  For now, I must conclude that New is Scary is Good, even when the scary seems huge. — Erin

Yeah, it’s been a while.  And 2010, the end of a decade, has been quite a year for VOCO Creative.

Every year around this time, we take a moment to reflect on what the year has brought:

~ Great results for clients, from publicizing a legal victory to providing clarity to a national brand struggling for relevance to successfully launching three additional communities for a builder that’s beating the odds in Boulder County

~Increased revenues and a saving of almost 50% in overhead costs, reflecting our lean ‘n green business strategy

~Productive pro bono partnerships with the Epworth Foundation, There With Care, and ongoing consulting and training for the Boulder Small Business Development Center

~Speaking engagements, partnerships, collaborations, and schemes galore

~Surviving the launch process for Erin’s debut book, The Heroine’s Bookshelf, which was released by Harper in October and has since garnered press in The New York Times, Glamour, Ms. Magazine, Christian Science Monitor, and more (!)

~Continued growth as business partners and friends, in collaboration with the clients who constantly challenge, question, push, and prompt us to expand and explore.

To celebrate, we thought we’d pass on some of our good fortune and much of our goodwill.  This year we gave to The Girl Effect, an impressive charitable effort on behalf of girls supported by the Nike Foundation, the NoVo Foundation, the UN Foundation, the Coalition for Adolescent Girls, CARE, Plan, the Population Council, ICRW and the Center for Global Development, among others.

Our donations were earmarked to help girls in Tanzania and Bangladesh start businesses and gain access to safe spaces.  The Girl Effect isn’t just an incredible charity, it’s an impressive intersection of social media marketing and charitable giving…an apt choice given our personal and professional obsessions.

Many thanks to our clients, friends, followers, and faithful companions on VOCO’s path.  On to 2011, and a happy new year! — Erin and Juli

• A staff member is excited about social media…but the boss thinks they’re ridiculous and don’t jibe with the company’s brand strategy.
• A PR effort has begun…but crucial players/interviewees disdain Web-based journalism and think journalists are covering the wrong story.
• An in-house B2B program has launched…but the sales team constantly resists, drags their feet, and refuses to get on board.

These are just three examples of ways in which lack of buy-in can undermine marketing efforts.  Sometimes the effects are just annoying and mosquito-like, but other times they can sabotage a business’ long-term potential for success.  And recently, I’ve seen several marketing programs falter, even fail, due to inconsistent buy-in across organizations.

What do I mean by buy-in? For the purposes of this discussion, I’ll define buy-in as support for a particular program or practice within an organization.  Buy-in is not always enthusiasm; it can be expressed by diverting manpower or dollars to a process.  In a perfect world, buy-in would mean that a project was really supported on all levels of an organization and given adequate resources and respect at all times.  Sadly, though, this is usually not the case, and achieving buy-in can be like a battle for hearts and minds.

So, how much buy-in do you need, anyway, to help a new program or mentality succeed? The answer will vary widely depending on the organization, the number of responsible parties, and the extent to which responsibility (or blame) has been spread across an organization.  Usually, it’s good to establish a point person with a high level of enthusiasm for the project who has, ahead of time, spent some time thinking about why the program is a good idea and why it deserves the company’s buy-in.  This point person can then identify allies and enthusiastic or competent parties throughout the organization as they implement the new plan.

The problem with the one-person, one point of enthusiasm strategy is that if that person moves on or messes up, the blame can only go in one direction, often preventing the “failure” from becoming a learning experience.  To counter this, it’s often a good idea to make the planning process an inclusive one, even if that means much convincing has to go on up-front.  Bringing in the dreaded consultant can also help with buy-in…having someone on hand to ask the right questions, sculpt a strategy that makes sense based on an org’s current priorities and resources, and investing money up-front for that clarity can create a sense of buy-in from the start.

Let me put it bluntly:  no matter how good your plan, results are the best way to get buy-in.  It’s often more effective to do a small, successful pilot program before securing the big bucks to follow your dream. Think of carrots, not sticks.  How can this program directly benefit a certain department or decision-maker?  Whose blessing is most important?

Sadly, there will always be people who resist change.  The key is not necessarily to convert these people right away, but to balance sensitivity to their perspective with a very well-justified plan (or, even better, one that speaks their language — numbers if they’re a numbers person, pretty pictures if graphs speak to them, etc.).  A bit of assessment and planning up front (yes, that would be Erin encouraging you to shy away from reactive thinking and decision-making again) can help you create buy-in for the long term. –Erin

As I prep for a packed house at Friday’s Boulder Chamber-sponsored Social Media 2010:  the Business Edition (seats are still available; I’ll be speaking on “Building A Solid Social Media Strategy”), I’ve been thinking about the power behind social tools.  So often, social networking is dismissed as a frivolity, something that’s just for kids.  In fact, this INC. Magazine article claims that up to 81 percent of small business owners have never applied social tools.

Contrast that news with this mind-boggling story:  last week in Australia, 60,000 trolls RSVPed for a private party a woman named Kate accidentally made public on Facebook.  The ensuing rigamarole (and the endless memes it spouted — we’re talking t-shirts, copycat parties, even pornographic sendups of the fête) has much to teach us about social media.  Namely:  It’s here.  It’s relevant.  And it can move people in a way that traditional tools just can’t.

Am I saying that every business owner should rush out and get the new shiny, even if they have no idea how it works?  No way.  But the sheer numbers and instantaneous quality of social tools should be enough to pique your interest, perk up your ears, and get you thinking.  Whether social media spurs you to clean up your message (complex, hard-to-understand messaging has no place in any kind of brand expression) or enter into actual conversation instead of keeping your head in the sand as to what your customers and clientele have to say, the time to ignore social media has passed.

Like it or not, we live in a landscape where Twitter users can make or break a film the day it comes out (or even before).  Priceless brand impressions and recommendations are just a log-on to Facebook away.  I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again:  given social tools, users rove in packs, get vocal and passionate, and can create tidal waves of interest or ignorance.  That, my friends, is power.  So…what are you going to do to harness (or ride) the wave?  – Erin

You wouldn’t know it by the way I run my mouth off sometimes, but I spend lots of time mulling over ideas of image, presentation, and messaging.  Today I’m thinking about authenticity…that hard to define, je ne sais quois that every company wants but not everyone can achieve.  All too often, I’m struck by the almost-right-but-oh-so-wrongness of a company’s message…the communications equivalent of a creepy pageant contestant who looks great but just doesn’t act like a normal human.  And an inability to communicate with genuine credibility is often to blame.

What’s authenticity? To me, the word “authenticity” defies a dictionary definition.  It’s the perfect balance and blend of truth, transparency, and individuality.  It evokes trustworthiness and comfort.  And it doesn’t shy away from warts, wrinkles, and hard-to-discuss subjects.

What do businesses and brands gain from authenticity? An authentic voice establishes credibility and familiarity, lending a “known quantity” feeling to a brand that creates trust.  Authenticity has a holy grail kind of feel…you want your message to come off clearly, simply, and truthfully, and you probably want even complex or crafty messages to sound unforced and truthful.

What’s the catch? The catch is that, by default, marketing and PR communications involve a level of thought, planning, and skill that at its core can come off as inauthentic.  Simply telling someone you’re great isn’t enough…in fact, it could be the worst possible thing to do.  Instead, there’s a complex balancing act that comes into play when creating authentic communications.  You have to imply your greatness (or funness, or usefulness, or whatever value your brand brings to customers) through demonstrable actions (results, benefits).  The problem?  It’s not enough to appear to be genuine. Yes, it’s okay to think through your communications strategy (um, a bit more than okay)…but if it comes off as forced, it won’t work.  Consumers smell inauthenticity.  They see it coming.  It’s the marketing equivalent of a blind date sensing desperation or a dog picking up on your emotional state.

So how do you foster authenticity?  Here are a few recommendations:

• Keep it simple.  It’s way easier to drive home one point at a time.
• Get your values in line.  Speak from a place of true conviction and passion.  If the underpinnings are right, you can’t help but nail it.
• Remember the humans.  Customers and clients aren’t just dollars…they’re people.  Fix a picture of your client or customer firmly in your mind…then talk to them!  No bull allowed.  It is shocking how many companies — big, well-funded, supposedly brand-savvy companies — seem unwilling or unable to acknowledge the needs, wants, desires, and realities of their customers as they are, not as they want them to be.
• Don’t hide. Develop a habit of facing objections, challenges, and pitfalls head-on.  Does that mean you need to broadcast all of your problems at all times?  No, but you need to be willing to address them in a straightforward and transparent manner.  Let the truth be your guide, even when it’s challenging.
• Practice.  Try out your message and see if it rings true.  Not hitting the right note?  Solicit feedback, tweak, and try again.

What’s your take on authenticity?  I’d genuinely (har) love to know.  – Erin

One of the things I love most about my line of work is the insider’s glimpse I get into a variety of business models and modes of operation as I help companies hone in on their brand, get clear with their messaging, and reach out to prospects and potential customers with effective tools.  Sometimes the view is a tidy, happy one…and sometimes it’s anything but.  And all too often, companies make mistakes that directly damage the brand they have worked so hard to establish.  Here are five surefire ways to do just that:

Be right all the time. I struggle with this myself all the time.  There’s a certain line between conviction and inflexibility that can be hard to distinguish and even harder to return to once you’ve gone too far.  The need to be right, have the last word, get 100% on the test, and bat near 1000 is endemic to entrepreneurs and high-powered business personalities…but it can also be a damaging trait for your brand.  When you need to be right, you close yourself off to information, input, flexibility, change, and evolution…and that can undermine all of the hard work you’ve put into your brand to date.

Plug your ears. It’s scary to put yourself “out there” as a businessperson or as a brand.  “You say social media’s about conversation,” say potential clients.  “But what if I don’t want to hear what’s being said?”  My answer is always simple:  criticism and frank dialogue will happen whether you want to participate or not.  Would you rather be part of a dialogue or miss out on the opportunity to create your own message?  When you plug your ears, you fail your brand by avoiding opportunities along with challenges.

Waffle. There’s something to be said for flexibility…after all, didn’t I just tell you not to close your business off to opportunity?  But waffling is something else entirely.  When you fail to commit to a plan of action, no matter how small, you fail to start on a path toward progress of any kind.  I’ve seen brands that are debilitated by their decision-makers’ inability to make a plan and stick to it…even a tiny plan with plenty of flexibility built in.  Let me put it this way:  if you’re busy waffling, your default mode is “on hold.”  Do you really want to convey that to your customers?

Play it safe. Yes, the economy sucks, yes, your customers are a finicky, picky, and easily-offended bunch.  But why do you think companies like Crispin Porter + Bogusky and the brands they represent are on top while many other agencies have faltered in a tough economic environment?  Like their in-your-face tactics or not, CP+B exemplifies a fearless approach…a commitment to find ideas that resonate and then make them stick.  If you’re too afraid of your clientele to even try out a message that’s anything but ordinary, you could be compromising your brand in an insanely competitive environment.

Lose your values. The number one mistake I see in businesses of every size is failure to recognize and adhere to a set of core values and tenets.  When you lose sight of your company’s values, you have nothing to translate into your brand identity…nothing to stick to, nothing with which to differentiate yourself, and nothing to stand for.  A quick values check before committing to any plan, approving any copy, or making any business decision can go a long way towards enhancing your brand.  And looking the other way while your values go buh-bye is a great way to flush your brand’s integrity and uniqueness down the toilet. – Erin

Thanks for returning to Social Media Myths Week, where the misconceptions are as plentiful as rumors of Bigfoot.  Today’s myth is a pervasive one:  The Myth Of No Time.  That’s right…that rumor you’ve heard that social media will take your schedule hostage, ruin your life, and beat up your mom in the process.

From whence this myth?  Part of it is pure overwhelm:  the streaming, 24/7 nature of social media can be a big intimidator (and big turn-off) to people used to safe, static emails or voice mailboxes.  And while, like any other business or marketing function, social media is useless unless firmly put in its place, it’s not a time-suck by default.  In fact, social media can SAVE you time (isn’t it easier to put out a query in 140 characters than to make 40 phone calls?  not to mention the time saved with invited, not interruptive, marketing that goes directly to your audience by choice instead of praying they’ll see it).  Part of the time-waster myth comes from the misconception that social media is the realm of gum-popping, Justin Bieber-obsessed MySpace tots (it’s not:  in fact, 55+ is the fastest-growing social media demographic, and users over 30 are becoming more savvy and more connected every day).  But far too many use the excuse of time to mask their fear of operating in a space that’s all about grassroots, real-time transparency…and miss out on a great low-cost marketing tool in the process.

Myth busted:  Just because social media is streaming doesn’t mean you need to get sucked down the river on a consistent basis. There are ways to keep boundaries and use social media effectively without spending hours and days browsing and chattering.  It’s all about goals and balance:  asking yourself what your goal for any tool is and devoting the appropriate amount of time to its use.  After all, consistency and conversation are the only rules of social media…and you aren’t going to die if you let the river of content flow by every once in a while.  For some tips on approaching social media with strategy and preventing the dreaded time-suck, visit my post on social media sanity at FolkMedia.  And put things into perspective:  when viewed as a tool like any other, it becomes easier to put social media in its place in your calendar and in your life.  Choose to devote your social media time to quality interactions and the consistent building of seductive, relevant content and it will be time well spent.

This week, we’re covering social media myths and misconceptions.  Myth #2 is one of my favorites.  As mysterious and elusive as the Loch Ness monster, it likes to shapeshift into different marketing and business functions.  It’s The Myth of the Silver Bullet, and it’s the bane of businesses everywhere!

Somehow, somewhere, this myth originated from the desperate desire of business owners, boards of directors, presidents, and bosses to find a tool that fits all three impossible categories of cheap, fast, and good.  This mythic tool can bolster even the most lackluster brand, sway even the most lazy and uninterested prospect, and produce untold wealth for all who use it regardless of skill level, budget, or strategy.

You can see where I’m going with this.  Social media’s cheap…heck, even inexpensive.  It’s predicated on lightning-fast communications.  It’s even been used well by businesses big and small!  Could it be the silver bullet you’re looking for?

Myth busted:  Like the Holy Grail, the Silver Bullet just doesn’t exist. Even super-flexible, super-fun, super-sticky-and-now social media tools can’t make up for weaknesses in your business plan, flaws in your content or failure to execute.  Even the most expensive, well, researched, well-planned and flawlessly presented ad campaigns sometimes bomb due to factors large (human nature) and small (one word that doesn’t resonate).  Think about it:  if merely throwing up a few social media profiles and calling it a day could make us all rich, would any of us be reading this blog right now in an effort to improve our brands?

If you give in to Silver Bullet thinking in your business, beware…you’re in for a lot of disappointment.  Does that mean that social media is incapable of providing great value to your business and returning amply on investment?  Of course not.  But reasonable expectations and goals and benchmarks that are tied to larger business goals are key if you’re going to make social media a sustainable, valuable tool in your arsenal.  So do yourself a favor:  focus on the realistic instead of the mythical…and stop placing all the strain on the back of poor social media already!

As a writer, I’m an observer, an inveterate eavesdropper and peoplewatcher.  Luckily, I get to watch a ton of human interaction both in person and through social media channels and it’s time to address something I feel all too few individuals and businesses grasp:  the idea of value and its correlation to followers and friends.  In short:  you can’t expect to effectively use social media if you don’t give people a valid reason to follow you.

I’m not talking coupons or presents, I’m talking about giving potential followers and friends a reason to get excited about interacting with you.  Maybe you’re an expert, or have a wacked-out view on a subject that your audience finds fascinating.  Maybe you sweeten the deal with some cool giveaways or give people insider access to a service or realm they wouldn’t be able to navigate without you.  Maybe you’re fun and friendly.  Most anything can give me a reason to follow you…but you’ve got to give me a reason.  Expecting users to devote their precious time and energy to you without offering something real in return is no longer enough.

Let me put it another way:  broadcasting how special you are does not work in the social media realm.  Rather than overtly broadcasting your unique fabulosity, you need to prove it…consistently, reliably, and with heart.

Here are some of my favorite strategies for providing value through social media:

• Connect.  Are you the popular kid, the one who knows everyone and loves to make introductions and connections?  Bring your connector personality to your social media presence and you’ll provide great value for potential friends and followers.
• Direct.  Do you have expertise?  Consider curating content around a specific area and pointing people to the newest, freshest, most controversial or insightful information out there.  There’s power in being a knowledge broker.
• Entertain.  People love to laugh and smile.  ‘Nuff said.
• Engage.  There’s not much incentive to follow someone who never talks back to their followers.  Be willing to demonstrate your commitment to conversation and you’ll go a lot further than if you use your blog or Twitter account as a mere bullhorn.

What’s your favorite way to add value to your social media presence?  Why do you follow others…and why should others follow you?

Um…how is it the end of the week again, let alone the end of the month?  Oh, well.  Time to round up what we’ve noticed in the realm of marketing, social media, and brand strategy the week of January 25:

Hyperlocal:  I finally gave in and joined Foursquare this week, amid a huge buzz around the growing power of hyperlocal social media applications.  This coincided nicely with Twitter’s (Denver-snubbing) rollout of local trending topics,  Yelp’s rollout of sundry cyberstalking technology for its app, and an extremely thought-provoking article by Andrew Hyde on the implications of this technology (and why he’s opting out).

Hyperhyped:  In case you were in a remote cave this week, I’ll break the news…Mac announced its iPad technology on Wednesday  to great hubbub and furor.  Cue the inevitable Mac/PC mockery and bickering between me and Juli (a Mac evangelist who eventually bemoaned the technology’s lack of camera and lame failure to properly use the space of the tablet).  And cue rabid fanboys, drama about its ill-conceived and poorly-tested name, and users delighted (hey, maybe it will improve AT&T’s sucky service!), bummed (wait, it won’t save print media?), and confused about various features and prices (or lack thereof).  Which all begs the question…isn’t the hype kind of the point?  Success or failure, the iPad controversy/expectation/spin machine has people talking, speculating, and refreshing their favorite sites.  Oh, for an audience of millions.

Hyperhelpful:  As websites cut the b.s. and pare down the heavy Flash and SEOverload for more nimble, flexible content management and simpler messaging, we’re encouraged to see more focus (and buzz) about helping others.  More and more, the businesses who catch our limited attention and keep it are ones that have honed in on the ways in which they serve their customer bases.  When you get away from service, you get away from your voice and your value…and even worse, you risk alienating your base.  Here’s a great article on how the helpful effect actually boosts credibility in the social media sphere (via today’s excellent SmartBrief on Social Media, one of the must-reads in my crowded inbox).  Want some ideas on how to leverage social media and Web tools to the advantage of all?  We’ve got your back.

What’s your favorite story of the week?  Let us know!