SoundBite Back back on Monday

Finally getting time to write some new posts, so I'll relaunch on Monday, a month after my unplanned hiatus. As always, I look forward to your comments and ideas.

I'll be back

Right now a busy period at work is preventing me from blogging about work. I hope to be back soon. Thanks for reading.

20 lessons learned (or relearned) while on vacation

Some of these are about communication, marketing, and advertising. Some aren't.

1. It's good to give your brain a break.

2. The cooler something is, the less marketing it needs.

3. "Multitasking" is a myth (more on this later).

4. If you're in a kayak on the ocean, you won't miss anything if you leave the Blackberry in the car (see #1).

5. If you think of exercise as a chore, it will seem like a chore. If you think of it as fun, it's more likely to seem fun.

6. Word of mouth beats every other form of marketing. Almost every significant dollar I spent was based on a recommendation from a friend.

7. It's easier to deal with 200 e-mails in one chunk than one at a time.

8. It's easier to really get away when you have confidence in the people you work with.

9. It's easier to really get away by working hard enough to earn the right to really get away.

10. But no one is irreplaceable. Not even me. (See #8.)

11. Billboards are ugly but effective.

12. XM radio is great for long road trips. Between that, Internet radio, and in-car distractions, I have more skepticism than ever before when it comes to radio advertising.

13. The longer someone has known you, the less you need to rely on well-thought-out verbal communication.

14. Don't fall on your back while doing something stupid (no permanent damage, and yes, that's all I'm sayin').

15. If you have a chance to see Niagara Falls, see it from Canada--if for no other reason than to go to Canada.

16. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is pretty cool, but I have a few great ideas that would make it so much cooler. I'm holding out until they hire me as a consultant, though.

17. If someone opened a Cheesecake Factory* in Fort Wayne, it would do very well. In fact, maybe I'll do just that.

18. Vacations are a good time to think about what's next.

19. Summer is short, so sit outside.

20. There's nothing like going back to where you're from to remember who you are.

*But don't go to Cheesecake Factory if you're away from home. Go somewhere like this.

See you next week

SBB is taking a break until Aug. 3. Feel free to do the same.

Side Project

I've started a second blog called "Play One More For My Radio Sweetheart," where I'll focus on another one my favorite things--great music. Well, at least what I consider great music. One song a day, with a little commentary. Stop by and stay, if you like what you hear--but don't forget to come back here, too.

L.A. Times picks up TwitLit story

Sunday is the slowest-traffic day at SBB, so it's a good day to indulge in some shameless self-promotion: when I was on vacation, a friend e-mailed me this Los Angeles Times story on Copyblogger's TwitLit contest, including a mention of my second-place entry. It's definitely the most mileage I've ever gotten out of 140 characters, although I still haven't done much with Twitter. But there was a time when I didn't understand why anyone would start a blog, either. And if I hadn't started a blog, I probably never would have read Copyblogger or participated in the contest. So you never know.

Branding series available as a PDF

My three-part branding series for Business People is now available in one PDF. Feel free to use it however you'd like (with attribution if reprinted elsewhere, please).

This is the final installment of my three-part series on branding that appeared in Business People. The other two are here and here.

Launching your brand
Tips for starting from scratch--or starting over

This is the last of my three ProSpeak columns about branding. You’ve read about what branding isn’t, and learned from the example of a few world-class brands. Now comes the most important part: putting those lessons to use with your own brand launch.

Whether you’re introducing a new brand or looking to re-energize an existing one, there are a few important steps to follow. The key is to invest in some not-so-glamorous groundwork before taking your brand public. You’ll need patience, but this approach will make the end result well worth the wait.

Here’s what it takes to make sure all systems are go for a successful launch:

1. Get real. Successful brands are authentic: they communicate a consistent message that accurately reflects the experience customers have when they interact with your product or service. This authenticity is a direct result of differentiation: great brands don’t attempt to be all things to be all people, but instead try to offer something distinctive to one specific audience. It’s crucial, therefore, to know your brand’s strengths and weaknesses. You’ll likely recognize some of these on own your own, but you also may be too biased to see things as they are.

That’s why research is a vital component of your launch. By gathering opinions from your customers, and from your competitors’ customers, you can get an objective opinion of what you do well, where you need improvement, and what points of differentiation you can authentically claim. Each market and each target audience comes with its own challenges, so it’s important to rely upon more than guesswork. Work with an established research partner who can help you determine whether a qualitative or quantitative study best fits your needs.

2. Set goals. One of the most common misconceptions about marketing is that results are hard to quantify. In reality, however, every dollar you invest should elicit a response—but you have to know what response you’re aiming for, and how you’ll measure success.

How does this translate to a brand launch? That depends on what kind of product or service you offer, of course, but it also depends upon why you’re launching your brand:

• Are you simply trying to build awareness? If so, you’ll need baseline research to understand your customers’ existing perceptions, including perceptions about your competitors. You’ll also need to conduct follow-up research to see whether your efforts moved the needle.

• Are you looking to generate media coverage? Then you’ll want to engage a clipping service and use technology to help you learn when you’ve been covered in the media and what dollar value you can ascribe to that coverage.

• Maybe you want to elicit a response from interested prospects. In that case, you’ll need to track inquiries carefully, either with a phone number, business reply cards, a specific website landing page, or a combination of touch points.

No matter what your goal is, be sure that you continually measure your progress so you can adapt as needed.

3. Educate your staff. Branding is often seen as the marketing department’s responsibility, but marketing just oversees the effort. In reality, branding is the responsibility of everyone at your company. In fact, those who have significant customer contact are your strongest brand advocates, since the things they say and do often will determine whether you retain your customer or lose him or her to a competitor. Accordingly, then, they need to know what branding is and why it’s important to your success.

Consider working with a partner who can give your staff an overview of branding. Provide an opportunity for your staff to see how they already are branding experts, given their experience as consumers. Then shift their perspective to their position in the organization. After they buy into the power brands have over their own choices, it will require little effort to show them how their words and actions influence others’ choices. Demystifying branding will go a long way toward making them understand how important they are to your success.

4. Audit your message. If you’re relaunching an existing brand, you need to take a good look at everything you use to communicate with customers. Your website, advertising, brochures, logo, and even identity materials like your business cards and letterhead may need to change so you don’t send a mixed message. This certainly may mean you need to make a substantial investment in your new brand, but it’s worth the expense—and less costly than cannibalizing your own message and sabotaging your own brand launch.

Most importantly, this is the time to decide who you’re going to target and what messages you’ll use to communicate with them. Armed with your research findings and your goals, you should be able to pinpoint the right audience. Just remember that your target should be specific, and your message should be designed to resonate only with them.

5. Launch. Now you’re ready to get your message out to your customers and prospects. This may entail an advertising campaign, public relations efforts, or a combination of the two. The specific tools you use will depend upon what you hope to accomplish. But committing to the four preceding steps will help clarify which tactics are most likely to succeed.

As I’ve discussed throughout this series, nearly every type of organization can benefit from the development of a robust brand. There are no shortcuts, and it requires some investment on the front end, but it’s well worth the effort. By building a brand that stands out, you’ll make it easy for others to connect with your story, including the people who matter most—your customers.

Your chance to Bite Back

After nearly seven months of just-about-daily blogging, I'm taking a week off from posting. So now I want to hear from you:

• What do you like about SoundBite Back?
• What would you change?
• What topics would like to learn more about?
• What else would you suggest?

Leave your ideas in the comments, or e-mail them to me at ajjuliano@gmail.com. Thanks for your input.

Hmmmm..suddenly, I'm kind of a huge Twitter fan

You may have read some posts where I've said I don't quite get Twitter. Well, earlier this month, Copyblogger challenged its readers to compose a story using exactly 140 characters, the maximum length of a Twitter post. Not up to 140 characters, mind you--exactly 140 characters. Given my attention span, the chance to write a micronovel immediately grabbed my attention. And when I saw the great prizes Copyblogger was offering, I was more than willing to put my Twitter skepticism aside.

The result, based on a true story, was this:

Tony was a snitch, so I wasn’t surprised when his torso turned up in the river. What did surprise me, though, was where they found his head.

Well, today Copyblogger announced the winners, and lo and behold, my entry took second place out of 400+ submissions. After reading some of the other winners, I feel very fortunate to have been selected. There are some incredibly talented microwriters out there--and reading their stuff doesn't take that long, another bonus for the easily distracted!

So thanks, Copyblogger, sponsors, judges, and everyone else involved in the contest. You might just make a Twit out of me yet!

The last of my three-part series on branding appears in this month's Business People magazine. I'm also posting one of the columns each month on SBB. Click here for the first one, read number two below, and watch for the third one in June.

Branding by Example
What your company can learn from world-class brands

Last month, I began a three-part ProSpeak series by discussing what branding isn’t. This month, in part two, I’ll focus on a few world-class brands that demonstrate what branding is--and how it applies to your business. No matter what industry you’re in, or how big your company is, these brands offer great lessons that can help you cut through today’s crowded communication environment with a message that’s clear, differentiated, and focused on your best customers and prospects.

Let’s start with retail giant Target. Target has carved out a niche for itself by delivering on a very specific, easy-to-understand promise. Where Wal-Mart and other retailers simply offer low prices, Target takes things a step further by offering low price combined with high design.

Here’s just one example: let’s say you need to buy a trash can for your home. If you’re looking for the cheapest option you can find, you’ll likely think of Wal-Mart. And what you’ll get is a perfectly functional but otherwise nondescript trash can to put in the corner and never think of again. But let’s say you’re someone who values aesthetics as much as price. For a few dollars more, Target will offer you a trash can designed by Michael Graves. Chances are, you’ll invest the extra money to get something you perceive to be better.

Now not everyone will pick the Michael Graves trash can—but that’s what makes Target a world-class brand. Instead of focusing on “everyone,” they pursue a very specific audience. For Target, this means conceding the shopper whose only concern is price, and focusing on those who “Expect More,” as its tagline states. This approach guides everything that Target does, from its advertising to its store design. And because Target is consistent at every touch point, their message cuts through the clutter.

Although conceding customers seems counterintuitive, it’s integral to building a world class brand. Consider Apple, for example. In a world dominated by Microsoft’s operating systems and programs, it takes a lot of courage to concede everyone with a PC. But that’s exactly what has made Apple so successful. The company positioned itself as an alternative, making the Mac a niche choice for designers, educators, and others who like to “think different.”

Today, the Apple brand extends well beyond the Mac, but every one of their products is designed (literally and figuratively) consistent with the brand promise. The iPod, the iPhone, and iTunes, to name just a few, have helped Apple become the choice of the early adopter and the technophile. This also gives Apple a significant price advantage, since its products are anticipated long before they arrive in stores. For a technology company, that’s an invaluable strength—and it wouldn’t be possible without the overall power of Apple’s brand.

While it took Apple years to build its brand, another technology company —Google—gained world-class status in about the time it takes to click a mouse. Even though Google is less than ten years old, it ranked 20^th in Interbrand’s “Best Global Brands 2007” report, ahead of such powerhouses as Pepsi (26), Nike (29), and Budweiser (30). How has Google succeeded so quickly? By articulating a brand promise that, while ambitious, is incredibly easy to understand: Google provides a gateway to and framework for all the information and tools you need to get answers and stay productive.

The true key to Google’s success, however, isn’t just its brand promise: it’s the company’s commitment to delivering on that promise. After having revolutionized search, Google continues to innovate, building on its reputation as the world’s information storehouse. Just when you think Google can’t get any more amazing, the company unveils a product like Google Earth or Google Analytics, and their reputation is reinforced and even enhanced. Google also isn’t shy about acquiring products and ideas consistent with its brand, further extending its position and further defying those who say world-class brands can’t be built overnight.

Now your company might not yet be in a position to grow as quickly as Google, or to innovate like Apple, or to be as ubiquitous as Target, but you can still learn quite a bit from them about what you should do when building your brand:

1. Specify. Don’t try to be all things to all people. Do one thing, and do it well

2. Differentiate. Be not only better than your competitors, but different, too.

3. Simplify. Covey your unique brand promise in a phrase that’s concise and easy to understand.

4. Repeat your story. Remind people over and over again how you’re different. Share your brand’s story in your advertising, public relations efforts, design, packaging, and at the point of customer interaction.

5. Deliver. It’s not enough to make a brand promise—you have to keep that promise, too. Nothing is more important to your brand than the customer experience.

Now that you’ve been introduced to the tenets of branding and have seen examples of what it takes to succeed, it’s time to put a plan into action. Next month, I’ll conclude this series by discussing the five steps to a successful brand launch. There are no shortcuts, but with some careful planning you’ll be own your way to building a world-class brand of your own.

I recently wrote a three-part series on branding for Business People magazine. The first column, shown below, appeared in the March issue. The April issue, which came out this week, includes the second segment. I'll post parts two and three here, too, after they're published.

Understanding Branding
Knowing what branding isn’t helps you define what it is

Branding is one of the most misunderstood aspects of marketing—and that’s unfortunate, because branding is integral to every company’s success. In this first of three ProSpeak articles, I’ll discuss some of common misconceptions about branding and define what it is by explaining what it’s not. In the process, you’ll learn how your company can use the different components of your brand to tell a story that cuts through in today’s cluttered, chaotic communication environment.

Let’s start with the most common misconception about brands.

Your brand is not just your logo. There’s a good reason why logos and brands are often confused with one another. The marketing definition of “brand” is derived from the “brand” that ranchers use to identify their cattle. It’s a mark of ownership, a distinctive visual clue of what belongs to whom. Your logo has a similar function, but as a result it’s limited in its ability to tell a comprehensive story. You should think of your logo, then, simply as a tap on the shoulder that reminds people your company exists. But the impressions they have about you go well beyond the logo itself.

Your brand is not just your company name. Your name should be just as distinctive as your logo, but it doesn’t always tell a story—nor should it have to. As brands change over time, it often makes sense to change your tagline, your logo, or your advertising, but it’s rarely a good idea to change your name. Why? It takes a long time for a name to gain traction, and you don’t want to squander the equity you’ve earned unless your name has a strong negative connotation (one example: the change from “The Phillip Morris Companies, Inc.” to “Altria Group, Inc.”). Also, your name no longer has to be descriptive in and of itself: after all, does the “A & M” in “Texas A & M” have any meaning today? Is the scope of IBM’s products and services limited to the manufacture of “business machines”? Today, it’s just as likely that a successful name—“Google” or “Starbucks,” for example—says very little on its own about what you offer, until your audience is informed by the larger context provided by the brand.

Your brand is not just your mission, vision, or values statement. Mission, vision and values statements should be written for your internal audience (if they’re written at all). They are the traffic signals that tell your people what you stand for and what they should focus on. However, they won’t—nor should they intend to—replace well-crafted marketing messages designed to make an emotional connection with your audience. That’s where a tagline comes in. However...

Your brand is not just your tagline. Nike says “Just do it.” For McDonald’s, it's “I’m lovin’ it.” And for Target, it’s “Expect More. Pay Less.” These taglines often summarize a larger message about the brand, but they’re merely a jumping off point. The tagline often creates a question in the consumer’s mind (Just do what? I’m loving what? Expect more of what?), with the answer inherent in the context provided by the brand.

Your brand is not just your advertising. Advertising certainly helps you tell your story, but it’s a one-way conversation. Think of your advertising as the first thing you would say when introducing yourself to your customers, and your brand as the rest of the dialogue. One important note about advertising: even if it’s great, there’s no guarantee your audience will continue the conversation. That’s because...

Your brand is not something you control. Today, the consumer is in charge. As suggested above, your advertising, your logo, or your tagline may start a conversation with your customers. But their experience with your product or service—and the experiences others have shared with them—are what gets them to either continue the conversation or end it on their own terms. This word-of-mouth is what truly defines your brand. And while you should do everything you can to make customers speak well of you, they alone have the final say.

Now that you know some of the things your brand isn’t, let’s move on to what it is. First of all, your brand is everything mentioned above, and more. It’s the colors you use in your marketing materials. The media coverage you receive. The way your employees dress, speak, and respond to concerns. Perhaps the best definition is that your brand is a promise—the net impression that your customers have based on what you and others have told them, and what they’ve learned from their own experience. If they see the value in that promise, they’ll interact with your product or service. And when their experience is consistent with that promise, that’s branding at its most powerful. That’s when you start turning your customers into advocates for your brand, and when they become your most valuable asset.

So, how do you build a world-class brand? Next month, I’ll discuss some brands that have succeeded by making, and keeping, differentiated promises. What you’ll discover is that it doesn’t take an enormous marketing budget to build a great brand—but no matter how much you spend, it’s worth every penny you invest.

SBB's Next Book of the Month

Later this month, SBB will review The End of Marketing as We Know It by Sergio Zyman, the former CMO at Coca-Cola. I'm reading this one at the suggestion of Kyle Lacy of Got Brandswag?, with whom I connected through Smaller Indiana. Thanks for the recommendation, Kyle, and thanks to the reader who suggested SBB giving advance notice of upcoming books of the month. And if you have any books you'd suggest that I put on my reading list, send me an e-mail or leave a comment here.

New poll: Super Bowl ads

Now it's your turn: which Super Bowl ad was your favorite? Take the poll in the right hand column. I'd also like to hear, in the comments below, what you liked about your favorite spot, whether you liked a spot that isn't in the poll, and which spots you didn't like.

SoundBite Bowl to keep score of ads

I'm planning to post during the Super Bowl tomorrow, giving each ad one of the following scores:

Touchdown: a game-changing ad, something that has a substantial, positive effect on the advertiser's brand

Field Goal: an ad that scores points for the brand, but doesn't quite go all the way

Incomplete: an ad that doesn't connect, moving the brand neither forward nor backward

Fumble: an ad that totally drops the ball and has a negative effect on the brand

As always, comments are welcome. I'd like to hear whether your initial impressions match mine, before we're all influenced by what we read in the paper and hear at the watercooler on Monday.

P.S. I'm posting this from my phone, so I apologize for any formatting errors.

YLNI Leadership Institute application deadline is Friday

Applications for the 2008 Young Leaders of Northeast Indiana Leadership Institute are due this Friday, Feb. 1. Participants will attend five Saturday sessions and Thursday kick-off and graduation events. The cost is $225/person, with discounts available for YLNI members.

I will be presenting at one of the sessions, with a focus on workplace communication skills. Click here for a flyer, or visit ylni.org to apply.

Poll results: ads on your cell phone

Our poll about ads on your cell phone isn't by any means statistically significant, but it still tells an interesting story about permission:

• 61% of you are " against them altogether"
• 38% of you are "O.K. with them if they're opt-in only"
• No one was "O.K. with them no matter what"

I've stated previously (here and here) that the telecomm companies should do everyting they can to make opt-in ads the industry standard. It sounds like most of you agree--and that you'd hang up on unsolicited ads, too, if you could.

Join the SoundBite Network

Great suggestion from SBB reader Jon on Friday in regard to our resume/job forum: some Fort Wayne communicators and marketers might be reluctant to post their resumes here if they’re not actively looking for employment. Why not treat it like “networking” instead of a job prospecting site?

Sounds good to SBB. And that’s just what we’re going to do.

So even if you’re not in the market for a new job, feel free to send us a resume (or a link) if you want to show off your skills and get connected to like-minded Fort Wayne folks. As long as you’re in a communication or marketing field in Fort Wayne, we’ll include you in our "SoundBite Network" (Think of it as a much smaller, Smaller Indiana, although I’d encourage you to participate there, too.) The best thing about the SoundBite Network is that you don't have to manage it--no e-mails to read, no photos to upload, no pokes to poke back at. Just post your resume and that's it.

Employers are welcome to post jobs here, too, but they must be in a communication, marketing, or advertising field. We're not trying to replace Jobs.FortWayne.com--just trying to connect Fort Wayne communication, marketing and advertising professionals. And if that leads to some work for someone...well, that's even better.

To get things started, I’ve made Jon’s resume the first on the SoundBite Network. Jon’s skills include:

• Making the complex simple through visuals and storytelling
  
• Solving internal communications headaches
• Arming his peers with the tools for the job
  

Thanks again, Jon, for the idea!

Read the original post for fine print we’d rather not type again.

Congrats, Julianne!

You’ll notice that Julianne’s resume is no longer shown on our site. That’s because she has a shiny new job*—congrats and good luck!

More resume-related news coming tomorrow...stop by to see how you can be a part of it.

*Did SBB have anything to do with it? Well, no. But we probably didn’t make her any less employable, either.

Hiya, Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly Readers!

This week's Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly was kind enough to include a short blurb about SBB, so welcome to anyone who's visiting for the first time. To help you catch up, here's just a few of the things you've missed during our first 20 days in the blogosphere:

• We've helped our readers find great free advice from other people
• We've started a resume and job posting forum
  
• We've shared the Lesson of Y'all and other writing stuff,
• We've talked about Communication,
• Marketing,
  
• Advertising, and...
• Badvertising,
• And we're having a contest
  

So browse around, make yourself at home, and leave a comment or two. And if you like what you see, let your friends know we're here. Thanks for stopping by!