My Top 10 Favorite Brands of 2011

There were many in contention...but these rise to the top in my eyes:

1. The Masters - Live from Augusta. It's even better when you are live at Augusta. Thank you God! 
2. Twitter - A mesmerizing tool for communication, information, branding and connecting.  
3. P90X - The days of wasting time and money at the gym are over. Hard work, lots of fun. 
4. Wounded Warrior Project - We've come a long way since Vietnam. This is where you find true heroes. 
5. Forward Motion - An emerging small business specializing in helping you take control of your career. 
6. Tim Tebow - A mix of faith, integrity, athleticism and work ethic. It's why he stands out. 
7. Vail, Colorado - I'll skip ski season...but in the summer there are few places better.  
8. Seth Godin - marketing and business genius. Thank you for letting us be part of your world. 
9. Southwest Airlines - A large brand with a great personality. Defying the odds in a challenged industry. 
10. David Feherty - Golf announcer, ambassador, humorist, role model. Makes me proud to be a golfer. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all! 

Brand Recovery: The NBA turns to Facebook

Here's the National Basketball Association's marketing strategy coming out of the lock-out heading into the openers on Christmas:

• We are sorry. 
• We didn't take you (our fans) for granted. 
• We know the economy still sucks. 
• We know you don't like hearing about labor disputes involving millionaires battling with billionaires. 
• We are sorry. 

Humble pie should be the theme to win the fans back. It will be a slow process with a need for genuine interaction and an appropriate level of empathy. 

Attention all social media fence sitters...watch how pros do it. 

Although the NBA is way out front in terms of social media usage they will need to ratchet up their "engagement" during the next few months. 

Tomorrow evening (December 22nd) the NBA will host a Facebook town hall meeting. Along for the ride will be partners American Express, EA Sports and ESPN the Magazine. If you participate you will be eligible to win tickets, gift cards, video games, magazine subscriptions and much more. Players will participate. They may even say..."we're sorry". 

Leading brands understand the pulse of their market. The NBA knew this day was coming where they would have to pull out all the stops to protect their brand. The recovery process is underway. Pay attention. You will learn a lot about branding, listening, engaging and asking for forgiveness. 

Don't over think it!

The key word in personal branding is....personal. It's personal to you and no one else. Instead of over thinking what it is, consider these "personal" questions:

• What website is bookmarked as your home page? 
• What is the last book you read? 
• What magazines do you subscribe to?
• What is your favorite hobby? 
• Why did you make your last charitable contribution? 
• What community activity made you want to volunteer? 

Have a story that you want to communicate. Better yet, start a conversation. Your personal brand is everything you want it to be. Allow your brand to be attractive...and remarkable. 

Broadcast Media and Social Media...do you see the differences?

The differences are vast. One is emerging...one is declining. TV ads are expensive. Facebook pages are not. Broadcast media is valued as a "cost per thousand" commodity. Social media is measured by clicks, likes, friends and page views. The latter can be categorized as "measurable results". 

Social media represents an opportunity to speak with your customers as opposed to the alternative of speaking AT them. If you are not interested in speaking with them your competitors will. 

"Real communication implies that people speak, and listen". So says Jason Falls and Erik Deckers in their book "No Bullshit Social Media". The game has changed and we will have a new set of winners and losers based on their acceptance of this new paradigm. 

Social media (specifically LinkedIn Groups) helped me build a community of job seekers interested in personal branding and expanding their contacts. The group met in person 2-4 times per month. Enter social media. The size of the group soon tripled. What began as a conversation with 6 people at a kitchen table has evolved into an interactive online forum of more than 500. 

Effective brand message + vehicle to promote conversations will allow social media to be a marketing staple in society for a long time.  

Generating buzz for your brand

In the world of social media we hear that "content is king". The thought of generating content often strands a business at the starting gate of social media. Time and inability to write something compelling are often the reasons for lack of execution.

Suggestion: Think about what it is that your customer consumes....beyond your product or service.

Do you sell suitcases? How about a blog that features exciting vacation resorts? With all due respect, vacation resorts are much more interesting than suitcases. Do you sell cookware and silverware? Use your Facebook page to share seasonal recipes. Promote and engage, all while building brand awareness.

In the process you are building a tribe of loyal followers who engage with you even though you are not selling them something. Your focus is on the lifestyle of individuals who will naturally use your services.

You cannot generate buzz without a strategy. The strategy I suggest here is not complicated. It takes planning, discipline, time and execution. Have you had success doing something similar?

Twitter battle: Alec versus American Airlines

This recent event highlights the need for someone to be the eyes and ears for your brand.

In one corner...irritable, belligerent, narcissist actor Alec Baldwin. In the other corner, American Airlines.

This is a story where one of two brands has something to salvage...the one being American Airlines. Alec Baldwin, of the famous Baldwin brothers has a long track record of embarrassing behavior. Please Google "voice mail rant intended for his daughter" if you are not familiar with his temper. The episode last week that lead to him being thrown off of an American Airlines jet at Los Angeles International on a flight to JFK is another chapter in his turbulent (pardon the pun) life. He had refused to turn off his electronic device and after a spat with flight attendants, was tossed from the flight.

Alec's brand leaves a lot to be desired, but TV producers and advertisers continue to look beyond his transgressions and hire him.

On the other hand American Airlines has a need to protect its brand when under attack. Once Alec let loose on Twitter with invective that would make you think he had been beaten by flight attendants, American responded with "tweets" that explained the situation and that their crew was following federal safety regulations. American Airlines deals with Baldwin-types a thousand times a day. They knew how to react to this hostile situation and made certain the flying public heard another version of the story. Great job...you will get my business!

Your business can learn a lot from this story. If I ran American Airlines I would add Alec to the "no-fly" list.

Who are the eyes and ears for your brand?

Time is a valuable asset to any business owner. How is your time managed? How do you prioritize your tasks? Are you missing out on something because you don't have time? Are you willing to delegate?

The business owners I speak with often say something like this...

"I wish I could spend more time on marketing"
"I don't understand social media"
"I don't need to advertise"
"Marketing is tough because you can't measure it"

Each statement has merit because it represents how the owner feels. I pose the following question to illustrate the value of understanding how your business is being perceived in today's market:

Who are the eyes and ears of your brand? 


Say what?

The evolution of social media has seen the transformation of "let's shout it from the mountaintops" advertising (TV, Radio, Billboard etc...) to conversation and engagement marketing (YouTube, Facebook, Twitter etc...). Your ad in the Super Bowl or in the Seinfeld finale had impact on the masses. Who knows how they felt about you, and they had little choice but to watch and listen.

Engagement and conversation has changed the landscape. Your business must adapt.

Who will be the eyes and ears of your brand? It needs to be someone you trust. Someone who will take "ownership" in your business even if they aren't the owner. Someone who understands social media and its intricacies. Someone who understands the impact of all comments tied to your brand. Someone as interested in your business' success as you are.

No small task.

Blogs, Video...Can they help you differentiate?

Absolutely.

They are fantastic tools to separate you from the crowd. There is only one you...thus you must demonstrate your unique value.

Blogs will give depth to your brand. You are starting a conversation with the prospect. You are sharing your expertise. You have opened the door for a question or inquiry that will further the dialogue. Engage, engage, engage. The prospect will likely visit your website based on the engagement.

Key point: You are not selling!

Once on your website the prospect will watch your introductory video. A true look behind the scenes of your business. The basis for a relationship is established without actually meeting. Your video projects credibility and a sense of the business' personality. You are reeling them in...without a reel.

Being the cheapest, fastest, sleekest, evolved, new and improved brand is no longer interesting. You are offering an experience, not a transaction.

How do you project an "experience" for your prospects?

What did you learn in 2011?

Most of us are ending the year working on 2012 budgets, marketing strategies, hirings and firings, scheduling new product launches and so on.

Spend time on these questions:

• What did we do well in 2011? 
• What can we do better? 
• What did we learn from our best customer? 
• What seems to be a recurring concern about our offerings? 
• Do we ask good questions? 
• Do we listen well? 
• Are we anticipating changes in our industry? 
• What needs to change to make 2012 the best year ever? 

Step back, slow down and take time to reflect. It's a great way to launch into the new year. 

Facebook and your brand

Now that you have ventured onto Facebook and searched for your competitors...what did you find? Most likely some are there and some aren't. Some have many "likes" and some don't. At the very least you have measuring tool of where you fit within your industry's online landscape.

Newt Gingrich has 198,000 likes. Mitt Romney has 1,202,000. These numbers won't dictate winners and losers, but you get the sense of who has been at it longer and has a strategy for success.

As you set up (or revise) your Facebook page think like a marketer first, then factor how you will use this new tool to your advantage. Are you clear about your brand and how it is perceived? Can you demonstrate the outcomes you generate for your satisfied customers? What is it that makes you different from others in your industry? Facebook, or any other marketing tool will become more effective when you have answered these questions.

Are you successful on Facebook? Share your story. Are you afraid to venture into these alligator infested waters? I'm here to help. All marketing tools are scary when you lack clarity about your own brand.