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Build your brand: Letting someone go

April 4, 2008

No one likes to let an employee go. Whether it is firing someone for cause or being forced to let a good employee go because of downsizing — it stinks. It’s a "keep you up all night worrying" sort of event. Because it is so awkward and difficult — most people do it badly. They rush it or talk for too long or just don’t manage the situation well.

Every single thing your organization does or doesn’t do impacts your brand. But, the more emotionally charged the moment/event — the greater potential it has to color the brand. The more "talkable" the moment — the great potential it has to color your brand.

So letting someone go is ripe for brand building or brand break down. If you think that your employees will not dissect every word, you’re crazy.

When is the time to plan (yes….plan) how you want an employee dismissal or layoff to go is when you don’t have one pending. Do a little creativity exercise. If you think about your brand’s attributes and promise — how, staying within that space, would the event happen?

If you were absolutely true to your brand:

When (day of the week, time of day) would you let someone go?
Where (does it have to happen in the office?)
What would you give the leaving employee? (Documents, phone numbers they’ll need, etc)
How will you end the conversation? (hug, high five, solemn look, handshake, nothing?)
What part of the conversation will the employee repeat?
How will you handle the news with the employees who are staying?

This just scratches the surface. My point to you is this: How you handle this situation WILL reflect on your brand. Far better to be purposeful about it, don’t you thin

Guy Kawasaki wrote a great post a couple years ago about how to handle a layoff. Well worth the read.

So let’s talk about this. Share a story of how you either managed this uncomfortable situation or what it felt like to be on the receiving end. I’ll bet we can find some branding wisdom among the stories.

Whose job is it?

April 2, 2008

There are few marketing tactics that work better than a referral. Instant credibility. The personal seal of approval. No wonder we all covet them. So, we sit back and wait. After all, our clients love us. Surely they are out there telling everyone they know how good we are. Right?

Wrong.

Let me ask you a couple questions.

1. Do you really expect your clients to remember the full range of services you offer?

2. Is it your client’s job to know how to describe your services to interest new clients?

Remember, it’s not that your clients don’t want to give you a referral, it’s just that it probably doesn’t even occur to them. And even if it does, they need a little help from you to do it well.

So you need to do your part. Ask them. Be sure to frame your question to help your client really hone in on the right kind of prospect. This means you need to do your homework. You need to be able to describe what kind of business is the best fit for you.

Think of the clients that you have the strongest, most mutually beneficial relationship with. What do they have in common? Size? Type of work? Location? Category of business?

You get the idea. It makes sense that other businesses with those same traits would be a natural fit. Create a client profile that really captures your ideal client. Then, see if your clients can help you find a few more.

Once you’ve got your client profile ready, share it with your clients. I’m betting many of them will have someone they’d like to introduce you to.

So, which client are you going to take to lunch this week?

3 ways to make sure your advertising fails

March 31, 2008

No one likes to think about and surely no one likes to actually accomplish it — failure.

And yet day in and day out some business owners and marketing directors make some common mistakes that almost guarantee it.

Let’s look at three easy to avoid errors when it comes to traditional advertising.

Trying to reach more people than your budget will allow: For a media mix to be effective, each element in the mix must be substantial enough to establish retention. Too often, people sacrifice repetition for the sake of reach.

Assuming the business owner knows best: If anyone has a bias or a blind spot about a business – it’s the person who owns it. You’re on the inside looking out. You can’t possibly see yourselves as the consumers do. Find perspective. Talk to customers. Do some research. Ask an outside consultant.

Late week schedules: Everyone buys ads that run on Thursdays and Fridays. Which means you have to share the space/time. Imagine having 1/3 the competition for your audience’s attention. Sound good? Then, consider buying early in the week.

I hate cancer

March 30, 2008

I hate cancer.

I don’t use the word hate very often. I don’t hate very many things. But I do hate cancer.

I hate the doubt it puts in someone’s heart when they think about their future. I hate how it terrifies us to point that we avoiding screenings because we can’t bear to know. I hate the long, heart-wrenching journey that cancer patients and their families have to walk. I hate that cancer survivors still feel branded by the disease long after they get a clean bill of health.

I don’t know very many families that haven’t been touched by cancer. Unfortunately, everyone is fair game.

For me, the hatred is very personal. My mom is a cancer survivor. Her first diagnosis was breast cancer. Her first diagnosis was more than 20 years ago. She beat it. More than once. Today, she’s healthy and enjoying her grandchildren, retirement and life. (and nagging me but that’s another post!)

The silver lining of a cancer diagnosis is that it brings into sharp focus how precious life is and how trivial most of the things we worry about are. It reminds us to breath in each day, absorbing all the laughter and light. It also teaches us how connected we all are and how much a hug, a word of support or a shoulder to lean on can mean to us.

Which is the real point of this post. Because that’s where we come in.

My friend Todd Andrlik , creator of the Power 150 and author of the Todd And marketing blog, got some devastating news last week. His sister Tricia was diagnosed with invasive lobular carcinoma the same cancer that struck Susan Reynolds late last year. Tricia underwent a double mastectomy over the weekend and is going to begin a rigorous treatment schedule once she heals from her surgery.

The good news is the surgery went very well and the doctors are optimistic. But I can tell you from personal experience that Todd, Tricia and their family still need plenty from us.

I cannot possibly overstate how vital and healing support from family, friends, the community and even perfect strangers can be. Todd has created a site for his sister where you can offer words of encouragement, prayers, or read more about her journey.

You can also support them financially. It’s easy to get so fixated on the disease itself that we forget how it absolutely disrupts life as we know it. Tricia won’t be able to work to support her family, will need all kinds of medical supplies and even if she has amazing insurance, will rack up some medical expenses.

Todd (and some good friends Shannon Whitley and Kami Huyse) have created several ways you can help. You can purchase a t-shirt or other items, be a part of the pixel wall (you’ll see my face and my mom’s there), just make a donation or sponsor the site itself.

Don’t worry about the amount. That’s not what matters. What matters is that odds are, your life has been touched by cancer. You know what Todd’s family is facing and how uplifting a kind word or gesture can be. We can’t cure her body, but we sure can help heal their hearts and souls.

Take five minutes and join me in showering them with hope, holding them in healing prayers and above all else, let them know that they are not alone.

Don’t let your words get in the way

March 29, 2008

Kudos to the team who created this campaign. Why? They didn’t wreck it with more words.

When creating your marketing materials — find the fine line between just enough information and too much. If you aren’t sure if it is too much, cut it by 20%.

Yes, really.

Help us take Age of Conversation to the top of Amazon’s charts

March 28, 2008

…and raise money for the children of Variety.

Here’s what we need you to do:

Today, Friday the 28th:

1. Go to Fresh Peel and Digg the post about the Bum Rush we’re doing tomorrow. We are trying to get pushed up the list as high as we can. It will take you less than 5 minutes.

2. Write a post about the Bum Rush, the children of Variety and the great book. Include this specific link to the Amazon listing please. (http://tinyurl.com/2drj2x)

Tomorrow, Saturday the 29th:

3. Go to Amazon via this link (we make extra money if you use this link) and buy a copy of Age of Conversation. If you are going to buy more than one copy (which you really should…great gift for clients or employees!) please buy them one at a time, or your purchase does not count!

4. Join Gavin, Chris and I as we give a Bum Rush play-by-play on Twitter. (Follow us: @Freshpeel, @DrewMcLellan, @servantofchaos) We also ask that everyone saying anything about the Bum Rush to use the code #AOC so that it can be picked up by Twemes.com

We need your help to make this work. Basically, buy everyone buying a copy on March 29th, we will push Age of Conversation up Amazon’s charts, which will get other people’s attention and hopefully encourage them to buy. Wouldn’t it be cool if Age was the #1 selling book on Amazon that day?

Please help us make this day a huge success for Age and for the kids of Variety.

Update: After an entire day of effort on many, many people’s parts — we took Age of Conversation to #36 on Amazon’s Best Selling Business books and #262 on their overall Best Sellers list. That’s amazing!!

Special thanks to Chris Wilson of Fresh Peel. It was his brainchild and he did the lion’s share of the work. Thanks to everyone and anyone who tweeted, blogged or talked about the Bum Rush. Special thanks to everyone who bought a copy of the book.

Online marketing is getting awfully mainstream!

March 27, 2008

PepsiCo, mass media king and Super Bowl spot regular, is bypassing traditional media to launch their new no-calorie, carbonated beverage called Tava.

Instead, the megabrand is relying on a blend of word of mouth and online marketing. They’ll be doing some sampling targeted at influential companies like MTV and Google and "offbeat stunts" in key shops and lots online banner ads. According to the New York Times article, what makes this of interest is the product is aimed at 35-49 year olds.

That’s a demographic that big consumer products have chased using traditional media for the most part — arguing that they weren’t really an online crowd.

Apparently PepsiCo is now disagreeing with that logic.

“There used to be an assumption this target was not online,” said Frank Cooper, vice president for flavored carbonated soft drinks at Pepsi-Cola North America in Purchase, N.Y. “But there’s a group in that category that’s ‘reborn digital.’ They’ve lived through the change and learned to adapt to it.”

“This consumer spends significant time online, although what they do may differ from the younger consumer,” Mr. Cooper said. “They’re not I.M.-ing their friends; they’re looking at e-mail or looking up information about travel, music, food.”

Add to the Pepsi story the findings of a recent PQ Media Survey. The survey shows that alternative media accounts for 16.1% Share of Total Advertising & Marketing Spending in 2007. This survey goes on to suggest that the category is poised for strong growth in 2008, despite the economic slowdown. PQ Media is projecting that 25% of all advertising and marketing spending will be dedicated to "alternative media" by 2012.

You can download a free summary of the research report but you’ll need to scroll down past the "buy the whole report for $1,295.00" section.

I guess part of me finds it interesting that the New York Times believes this is newsworthy at all. And that we still call online and mobile advertising "alternative."

Haven’t we gotten past the realization that the average consumer has some sort of digital footprint/life that opens up some opportunities for marketing to them in that space?

What do you think?

I’ve been blogged!

March 26, 2008

The folks at Blogged.com have been busy gathering, reviewing and rating blogs in just about every category you can imagine. So, if you are looking for a few blogs to add to your reading list, look no further.

They rank the blogs based on frequency of updates, relevance of content, site design and writing style. In the Business category, Drew’s Marketing Minute was scrutinized and I am honored to tell you that we (yes, we) got a 9.4 or excellent rating.

I’m only half the blogging team around here — without your questions and comments, this would be a very different place.

So congrats and thanks to you (and the Blogged.com team) for our great rating! Let’s keep up the good work!

Who is your perfect customer?

March 25, 2008

We’ve talked before about how no one is a demographic. But usually marketing plans define the brand’s target audience as "moms, 35-50" or "men, 25-54." I particularly love the 25-54 demographic.

When I think about what I was like at 25 and how I am today — those are two completely different men. And I’m only 45. But I wouldn’t talk to or market to the 25 year-old Drew in any way, shape or form like I would the 45 year-old.

So relying on wide range demographics really promises that we’re going to either have very vague messaging or we’re going to leave out a portion of the group.

So what if instead, you got very specific. Down to an individual. Some would call this a persona. That’s okay by me too. The point is…think past ranges and sweeping generalities. Get focused.

Create the profile of an individual who you believe is the perfect fit for your offering. Down to the nitty-gritty details. What would an entry in their journal look like? What are they like in the morning? What is their guilty pleasure? What’s their go-to password? Where’s their dream vacation? Use research to guide you, but let your insight and intuition take you where the research cannot.

Make sure this is multi-dimensional. Use images, sounds, music, smells.

While you’re doing this so you can better understand how this person intersects with your product, service or brand — don’t let yourself get boxed in.

Explore the sum total of them:

Their daily routines
What they worry about
Who matters to them
How they dress
Where they shop
Which brands they advocate for
How they unwind and socialize
How they dress/what they’d never be caught dead in
What causes matter to them?
Their favorite movie, music, books

You can go on and on…

Now, begin to describe why this person is absolutely ideal for your product, service or brand. What it is about them that makes the match perfect?

As you begin to do this, you’re going to start to get ideas. Ideas of where to reach this sort of person. Ideas on what will matter to him/her. Where’s their watering hole — where do they hang out? You might wonder what would turn them off about your packaging or pricing structure. Where would you find and be able to communicate with a whole bunch of them? How could you find a few and ask them to react to a new business strategy or product tweak?

All of a sudden….you’re going to be thinking in a fresh, new way and find paths you hadn’t explored before.

Have you ever used this technique? Did it shift your thinking? What made it work or not work for you?

Tired of getting caught in the SPAM filter?

March 24, 2008

Are you using e-mail based marketing efforts only to discover that a good proportion of your target audience is never seeing your message? Is your e-zine or e-mail getting snagged by their SPAM filter and tossed into the trash?

As companies tighten their anti-spam filters, more and more legitimate e-mail is getting caught in the same trap.

Check out this free tool that will check your content for red flags before you send it. You just fill out a brief form, cut and paste your content into the right field and you will get an instant and free report. They’ll identify any problematic elements in your content and suggest alternatives.

It’s free. It’s easy. And it will save you time and headaches. What’s not to love?

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