Everyone has a personal brand. The key question is do you work to improve your brand or are you unaware you even have a brand. I am not sure what is worse... not working your brand or not having a clue as to your brand.
Most people associate a brand with a national company like Nordstrom or Toyota and not with an individual. Shop at Nordstrom's and experience one of the best customer service experiences on the planet. Look up the residual value of a Toyota six months ago vs. today and find out what happens when a company neglects it's brand.
So... What's your personal brand. To discover the answer, ask several people the question.. What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear my name? If they say professional, trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, etc... you have a positive brand and you are on the right track. If not, you may need to polish your personal brand.
At a minimum you need to nurture your personal brand on a weekly basis. One of the best ways is the use of Social Media to share your unique skills and knowledge with your networks. Think of ways to make the world a better place one day or person at a time and then share your charitable acts to inspire others to do the same. Build a positive personal brand... one Facebook posting at a time.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Don't assume people know what you do
Have you ever experienced the following conversation? It starts with your friends, family, and clients saying, "I did not know you sold clothing, assisted with marketing, or did embroidery, we just purchased from XYZ. "You get a stunned look on your face and have to explain that you could have saved them money and provided better service and quality. It all adds up to lost business because you assumed that everyone knows what you do.
My father passed down some communication wisdom by taking the word "assume" and breaking it down into three parts. The first three letters "ass" the fourth letter "u" and the remaining "me". The saying goes as follows: if you assume, you make an ass out of u and me. He was not talking about marketing, but general communication skills. He is a practicing attorney and believes you never assume the facts, that you must clearly state your position without assuming.
Marketing follows the same principals of never assuming that people know what you do. Marketing communication with emails, direct mail, websites, twitter, facebook, blogs, linkedin, etc. must all be used to communicate what you do. Tell success stories of how your clients have successfully used your products and services and avoid lost business.
My father passed down some communication wisdom by taking the word "assume" and breaking it down into three parts. The first three letters "ass" the fourth letter "u" and the remaining "me". The saying goes as follows: if you assume, you make an ass out of u and me. He was not talking about marketing, but general communication skills. He is a practicing attorney and believes you never assume the facts, that you must clearly state your position without assuming.
Marketing follows the same principals of never assuming that people know what you do. Marketing communication with emails, direct mail, websites, twitter, facebook, blogs, linkedin, etc. must all be used to communicate what you do. Tell success stories of how your clients have successfully used your products and services and avoid lost business.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
The Circle of Social Media
Confused about the business use of Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and Blogs? You are not alone. Traditional marketing has been about pushing your product or service to your target audience. Social Media marketing is about sharing your knowledge and expertise. Share your years of experience to help solve your target audience's problems. Become a subject matter expert in your field and share your knowledge.
Social media marketing should be 80% sharing what you know and only 20% about your product or service. This is the primary motivation to starting this blog on the Art of Marketing. My 31 years of sales and marketing in small businesses and large corporations has taught me countless lessons. Why not share what I have learned.
My sharing tip of the day is to make a complete circle of your social media outlets. Connect all your networks together so you can access your Facebook fan page, Twitter account, Blog, Linkedin profile from your website, email newsletter and email signature. Make it easy for your target audience to follow you on all your social media networks and share your knowledge.
Social media marketing should be 80% sharing what you know and only 20% about your product or service. This is the primary motivation to starting this blog on the Art of Marketing. My 31 years of sales and marketing in small businesses and large corporations has taught me countless lessons. Why not share what I have learned.
My sharing tip of the day is to make a complete circle of your social media outlets. Connect all your networks together so you can access your Facebook fan page, Twitter account, Blog, Linkedin profile from your website, email newsletter and email signature. Make it easy for your target audience to follow you on all your social media networks and share your knowledge.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Three Keys to a Marketing Plan
We have several clients that have asked us for the secret to Marketing. It's not rocket science, it's a simple process that takes a great deal of planning and determination to execute effectively. The first step to an effective marketing campaign is a written plan.
I know what you are thinking.... I don't have time in my 18 hour day to develop a plan. One of the reasons you are working an 18 hour day is you don't have a plan. The secret is to start with a simple plan that covers three items.
1) Write down your target market(s) Who are you trying to sell to? Who is your ideal client?
2) Write down the ways you can reach your target market. Do they spend time on facebook, do they belong to specific groups, do they attend the same meetings?
3) Write down ways to stay in front of your target market. Emails, direct mail, seminars, social media, etc.
Once you have the basics on a piece of paper, you can begin to start planning the tactics that you need to use to say in front of your target market. Remember... the key to marketing is being in the mind of your prospect when they are ready to buy your product or service.
I know what you are thinking.... I don't have time in my 18 hour day to develop a plan. One of the reasons you are working an 18 hour day is you don't have a plan. The secret is to start with a simple plan that covers three items.
1) Write down your target market(s) Who are you trying to sell to? Who is your ideal client?
2) Write down the ways you can reach your target market. Do they spend time on facebook, do they belong to specific groups, do they attend the same meetings?
3) Write down ways to stay in front of your target market. Emails, direct mail, seminars, social media, etc.
Once you have the basics on a piece of paper, you can begin to start planning the tactics that you need to use to say in front of your target market. Remember... the key to marketing is being in the mind of your prospect when they are ready to buy your product or service.
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