I am writing you today to deliver some sad and unfortunate news. After 15 years in business, my wife Gretchen and I have made a decision to close our firm, Renaissance Creative.

Last night I moderated a panel discussion at the University of North Florida called Strictly Social. The purpose of the event was to bring together professionals in Northeast Florida who use social media every day in their jobs, but who each do very different jobs.

By doing so, I hoped to bring together people with different enough backgrounds, and diverse enough expertise, to facilitate a quality conversation about a range of topics. Now that the event is over, I believe that I was successful.

I’d like to thank both UNF’s PRSSA chapter, and UNF, for both inviting me to speak, and for hosting the event. Without them, it would not have been nearly as successful!

Panelists who appeared on the panel were:

Jason Sadler, Founder of IWearYourShirt.com

Aliera Peterson, Social Media Manager at Dalton Agency

Lauren Teague, Fan Outreach and Social Media Manager at PGA TOUR

Jason Pratt, Public Affairs Consultant at Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media

The panel tackled the following topics:

• What does the shifting age demographics within social media mean, both for individuals and for brands?
• What does a successful online community look like? How can one be built?
• The state of the “Check-In”. What is the long-term viability of this? In your view, is it here to stay? How will it evolve over the next few years?
• What role will niche/topic-specific social networks fulfill over the next few years?
• How will social media’s role in customer service change over the next few years?
• What is the future of of q&a sites in social, both for personal web use, and for brands?

Almost 50 people were in attendance for discussion, and lots of tweeting was happening. To see all that was said, follow the hash tag #strictlysocial on Twitter.

Here are some of the more interesting quotes/tweets from the evening:

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We’d again like to thank everyone who came out to the event last night!

Since this event went well, we hope to put together another one in the near future. When that happens, we will write about it here.

Yesterday I spoke at the Creative Company conference in Five Points, which was organized by the advertising and marketing firm Wingard Creative.

My talk focused on the importance of a business or corporation creating an online community for its customers. I used examples from companies such as Sony, Starbucks, Target, Southwest Airlines and more, to illustrate my point.

I used examples of branded communities across different social networks: Facebook, Twitter, DailyMile, Last.FM, Foursquare and Goodreads.Each of these networks has a different function, but each has the capacity to host a branded online community.

After I was finished speaking, I realized that there were other platforms that exist that could also house a branded community, including Quora, LinkedIn, DailyBooth and Formspring.me.

Most of the questions that I was asked dealt with Facebook, because it’s the biggest platform with the most direct impact on a small business. But in my talk, I tried to broaden people’s horizons a bit by showing the audience members that other platforms exist; that social is going vertical very quickly, and users are taking notice.

I closed out my talk by emphasizing that online communities are not platforms meant for just selling. These are places where your customers come to connect with your company, to get information, and to be heard when they have a problem. That isn’t to say that you can’t market to them. But when you do, it must be transparent and clearly beneficial to the community.

Overall, Creative Company was a great event. I hope it comes back next year, and is even bigger.

Today Foursquare added a new feature to its web site: Buttons.

This means the most to businesses actively using Foursquare, because it makes it possible to create buttons for individual locations and embed them on a web site as a button. Here’s the official word from Foursquare’s blog:

Say hello to the ‘Add to My foursquare’ button. You don’t always learn about new places from your friends, you may have read a review of someplace in the paper. Since there hasn’t been a good way of remembering a review when you’re nearby, we’ve rolled out a new embeddable ‘Add to My foursquare’ button, which connects what you find on the web with your foursquare To-Do List. Read the review, click on the button, and that tip about tasty cupcakes is now on your phone.

This seems to be the next step in what could become Foursquare’s own social graph, much like what Facebook has now.

For businesses with an interest in getting more involved with Foursquare, this is an opportunity to go all-in and develop that geolocation strategy.

The longer a company waits to get involved with geolocation, the greater their disadvantage will be when geolocation really goes mainstream.

While having a dynamic web site is something most businesses should have, if you’re a small company just starting out, it might look more like an additional expense than a genuine resource.

For companies facing that decision, let me remind you that while Facebook is at its heart a social platform, it also serves all of the same functions as a very basic web site.

If your company trying to develop a web presence in the most cost-effective way possible, consider taking the amount you would have spent on a web site and apply it towards developing your business’s Facebook profile.

Here’s why:

The Basics

• On a Facebook page, you will have listed your company’s name, contact details, opening hours and more. This would appear on your web site, too.

• Every Facebook page comes with a built in CMS (content management system). You can upload links, images, photos and more. There is also a “notes” section that doubles as a blog, if you aren’t already running one off of one of the many blogging platforms.

• On a web site you’re likely to have a calendar of upcoming events, or in-store specials. While it’s not as pretty or customizable as what you would get on a custom web site, the basic function exists. An added plus, however, is that you can create an event and invite customers to attend.

The Perks

• Using Facebook as your company’s main online hub brings with it a few added perks that using a standard web site does not offer. At its core, Facbeook is a social platform. This allows your company to connect with customers in more direct ways.

• Having a content schedule means that the conversation is always ongoing. Each day you have a new topic that you’ll post about, and get comments from your customers.

• Company Facebook pages offer solutions for developing, promoting and implementing sales and special offers, directly to your customers, without the need for circulars.

• Facebook offers hundreds of applications that can be applied to your page, that create more dynamic, website-like experiences for customers.

There are more perks than just these, but you get the picture.

Dynamic web sites are useful to have for businesses. But for those just starting out, Facebook offers another option that should be considered.

Image credit: Kris Krug/Flickr

On Wednesday this week Steve Jobs and Apple announced a number of new products and concepts at an Apple event in California. Among them was the launch of Apple’s first foray into social media, called iTunes Ping.

I was listening to the event on my iPhone and following the commentary online via Twitter. There were lots of interesting instant-reaction Tweets by industry types. I found this one, by Kara Swisher, columnist for AllThingsD.com, to be quite interesting:

Apple Ping is “vertical Twitter” says Fortune’s Adam Lashinsky, sitting next to me at launch event in SF

At the time of reading, I hadn’t used Ping yet. My first thought was, Oh, I’m Not Sure This Is A Good Idea. Apple is an utterly closed company, making its living off of closed platforms. There is no sense of openness, of encouraging sharing, that is required in today’s social media landscape.

However, I wanted to reserved judgement until I had the opportunity to play around with it for myself. I downloaded iTunes 10 and created my Ping profile ( iTunes link).  Ping profiles do not work with browsers. Everything must be done within iTunes.

I come to Ping as a five-year user of Last.FM (formerly Audioscrobbler), which can be accessed via browser and is an open social network.

First off, if you have an Apple/iTunes account, then by default you have a Ping account. You’ve just got to activate it and pick a photo for yourself. Once that’s done, you can find “friends” to “follow” (similar to Twitter) and talk about music.

How you do that, though, is the tricky part.

The entire purpose of Ping is to make people spend more time in the iTunes Store. Every action requires that you wade through the iTunes Store. Want to write about an album? Find it on the iTunes store, then click “Share”. Just want to “like” a track (a la Facebook)? Find the song and click the tiny arrow next to the price.

After you “share” an album or song, or “like” something, it appears in your stream as recent activity. It always appears in such a way to make the album or song easy to purchase, should the mood strike.

Sound weird? It should. I believe GigaOm sums it up well:

Ping is essentially an e-commerce platform for music disguised as a social network.

An industry standard for new social platforms is that they all must connect to the other existing social networks in some way. Tweet this, Post to Facebook, etc. You can’t find much of that in Ping.

Facebook is nowhere on Ping, either. Currently, there is no linking, sharing or participation of any kind with Facebook–or Twitter or MySpace–on Ping, which will work only on the iTunes software on computers, iPhones and iPods.

Despite that, people are joining. iTunes has 160 million users worldwide, so odds are in Apple’s favor that they will be able to make some significant gains.

However those gains could be wiped out if Apple is not able to get Ping’s spam problem under control.

Ping really is a “social network inside a walled garden”, as GigaOm’s Paul Sweeting calls it.

Just because you’re a wildly successful tech company does not guarantee success in social media. Just ask Google. They know all about that.

Image credit: Bruno Pedro/Flickr

You’ve got a Facebook profile, claimed your business on Google Maps and Foursquare, and you may even have a Twitter account. So far, your businesses is well situated to use the internet and social platforms to generate business and raise awareness of your brand.

But there is one other platform where your business is absent: Blogs.

The natural inclination of businesses is that blogs are time-consuming and labor-intensive. I won’t dispute that — blog posts require time and effort to write and publish.

But the benefits to maintaining a company blog are considerable. Consider the following:

1. Distribute content. Having presences on social media platforms is great. In addition to communication platforms, social media are also distribution platforms. Post your blogs to Facebook, Twitter and anywhere else you are active.
2. Improve SEO. The more of your content that search engines have to crawl, the better your search engine results will be when someone searches for your company
3. Advertise products. Blogs offer businesses a place to advertise and discuss their products.
4. Build reputation. Use a company blog to cement your company’s and your own status as an expert in a field, via informative posts.
5. Create community. Use your company blog as a gathering place for customers. Stick to a content schedule so that customers are waiting for your next post.

There are more reasons to do it than just the five above, but that’s a good start.

In the rush for businesses to get on Facebook and Twitter, some are forgetting about the value of blogs to their business. When developing an online and social media strategy, don’t forget to include a company blog in the planning.

When used correctly, company blogs can become an asset to the company’s presence online.

Back in June I wrote about how restaurants can use social media on a daily basis to drive customers in, and generate conversation online. My example breaks the day down into different parts, and offers an explanation of what could be done for each.

Today I came across a broader explanation, in the form for a flowchart.

It was developed by Spork Media, a New York-based consultancy that caters (no pun intended) to the restaurant industry, to help restaurant owners develop their business’s digital and social media footprint.

Check out the flowchart here:

The reason this works so well is that it looks at the big picture. Successful social media and online community strategies are built around outposts that each direct users/customers back to the business’s digital HQ, which in this case is the official web site.

In March of this year, Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas-Nelson, wrote a great post about what he calls a “Social Media Framework” on his blog, which I encourage you to read.

When it is done right, restaurants can use social media, online communities and even content in a way that encourages online buzz and brings in new customers.

While each business and restaurant requires its own individual strategy, the above flowchart is a good starting point for any restaurant looking to dabble in social media for the first time.

Photo credit: Cedric Leclere/Flickr

Today Pace Communications released a breakdown of where most of the major grocery store chains in the U.S. stand with regard to total number of followers on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.

The results were surprising in part because it painted a clear picture of how little this industry has invested in social, outside of major players such as WalMart and Target.

While the retail and food service industries have been quick to jump into social media, food retail (grocery stores, etc) appear to be more hesitant.

Grocery stores advertise their in-store deals to drive foot-fall via newspapers and magazines. That will continue for years to come, however social media offers another platform that should not be ignored.

Services such as Groupon and Living Social offer great opportunities to drive customers with discounts, traditional social media offers an added bonus of enabling engagement between customers and stores.

Over the next year or two, I believe that more grocery stores will begin to put greater emphasis on their social profiles, both for reputation purposes, and to drive customers into the stores.

Photo credit: Doug Wilson/Flickr

One of the side benefits of businesses using social media is that it requires some maintenance by actual human beings. For every business, this presents an opportunity. Whomever is managing your company’s social media efforts could become the face of your brand or company online.

The above screen grab is of Scott Monty’s Twitter account. Scott is the head of social media engagement for Ford Motor Company. Other than CEO Allan Mullaly, Scott is the the most recognizable “face” of Ford, because that’s how Ford positioned him to be.

Corporations and brands tend to be faceless organizations: The only humans that customers interact with are the ones they meet in brick-and-mortar locations, or via customer service. Social media presents an opportunity for companies and brands to humanize themselves. It goes towards perception, trust and ultimately, comfort.

In a recent Ad Age column, Chris Malone, chief advisory officer of Relational Capital Group, discussed this at length. Here are some of the key points that he made:

Social media are simply the most obvious place to apply insights about warmth and competence. This universal model of human perception has the potential to significantly reshape almost every aspect of the way companies build, manage, service and advertise their brands.

Because social media are ultimately a platform for conversations, brands can have actually discussions with customers, answer questions and more. This is the warmth that Chris is talking about. If you feel like someone is listening to you, then you’re likely to feel positively towards them.

Putting service-related honesty and selfless intentions on display for consumers to comment on and share with others will surprise, impress and inspire them.

This is all about transparency. Previously, all customer questions to a brand happened behind closed doors, on the phone, in the call centers. While a lot of that still happens today, some of it is shifting online, to social media platforms. Customers cannot be brushed aside when they leave pertinent comments and time-sensitive questions on a brand’s Facebook page.

In an article appearing today on Mashable, the author touches on this as one of the different “engagement styles” that can be used by businesses using Twitter:

With one friendly “individual” voice. This engagement style calls for a business to officially anoint someone or selected people from within the company to be the official Tweet-voice. Their personality is allowed to come through on some level within company boundaries. Customers need to feel as if they are being handled by an actual human being who is personable, but not too edgy

Businesses considering a social media presence should also consider having an employee as the “face” of the company or brand on social networks. It will lend to the credibility of the business, because customers feel like they are interacting with a person, not a nameless/faceless entity.

But those are not the only platforms that you should plan for. There are may other second-tier, niche social platforms that are worth considering when devising a social media strategy, whether for your agency or for a client. I recently wrote about one, called Take Me Fishing, meant for outdoors and fishing enthusiasts.

Here are a few more that are worth considering:

DailyMile.com

DailyMile touts itself as a “social training log.” In a lot of ways it can be explained more easily as “Facebook for people who like to work out.” Each time you work out, doing anything from running to rock climbing (there are actually 18 different exercise options), you post it on your page, including distance traveled and time spent doing it.

The social element comes in when you add “friends”, who can then view your exercise progress in their own feeds, similar to Facebook’s NewsFeed. Friends can leave comments, “like” posts, and even send you inspiration. Users can also post status updates and photos or videos.

Users can track their running and cycling routes, sign up for races/competitions, and participate in challenges with DailyMile users all over the world.

DailyMile could be useful for an individual, whether it’s a CEO’s attempts to be more transparent and public, or a politician running for office and seeking to fully engage social media across more than just Facebook and Twitter.

Dopplr.com

Dopplr calls itself a “a service for smart international travelers.” It has been around for a few years, but despite that, it has not found itself cemented into the public’s conscious as a major social network, even after being bought by Nokia. Geolocation social platforms are all the rage right now. But Dopplr was around before Foursquare or Gowalla.

Dopplr isn’t interested so much in where you are, as it is in where you’re going and where you’ve been. Its users tend to be professionals who use the site to track their business travel, whether it’s to meetings or conferences.

That being said, Dopplr is a great tool to integrate into a professional’s social media presence. It’s also great for people whose job requires quite a bit of travel, and a bit of transparency – such as athletes, authors, CEOs and more.

Dopplr becomes more social by allowing users to follow each-other, to see what their travel plans are. Users can also leave comments and suggestions for fellow travelers, such as recommendations for restaurants and hotels.

GoodReads.com

This one is for the book readers out there. Calling itself “the largest social network for readers in the world,” Goodreads sets out to let users share their reading lists with others, including reviews of books read and even recommend books to others.

Its core users are the kinds of people who buy multiple books at bookstores, or from online stores for their portable devices, which has them updating frequently. It’s also useful for more passive users, who want to find out what others are reading, and what they think of it.

One great feature is the ability to create and update a To-Read list. There is an iPhone app, so while you’re in a book store, you can add books to your To-Read list very easily.

Using a social platform such as this would be useful for authors and public figures. There are ways to pipe activity on Goodreads onto a website, so visitors can see what books that person is reading, and what they thought of them.

A platform like this can act as support, to broaden out a social media strategy, because it focuses on something more specific.

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There are many more second-tier/niche social networking platforms out there, but these are three that I believe are interesting. When developing a social strategy each has something different that Twitter and Facebook can’t really offer in the same way.

The above can also add something to the Facebook and Twitter experience, since each offer the option to post activity straight to Twitter and Facebook from the sites.

]]> http://www.renaissancecreative.com/blog/2010/07/finding-value-in-niche-social-networks/feed/ 1 http://www.renaissancecreative.com/blog/2010/07/opening-up-unsocial-brands-5-tips/ http://www.renaissancecreative.com/blog/2010/07/opening-up-unsocial-brands-5-tips/#comments Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:54:58 +0000 Ben LaMothe http://www.renaissancecreative.com/blog/?p=557

For some companies, the rise of social media has brought with it some hard truths, namely that their brand or company risks being left behind because it doesn’t lend itself well to traditional commercial uses of social media.

There is a hint of truth to that — not every brand has social built into their DNA. But with a little help, most unsocial brands can be made at least a little social by using targeted strategies.

The key is not to take a defeatist attitude. Just because it isn’t obvious, does not mean it’s impossible. Check out what your competitors are doing in social media, if they are using it, and determine how to make something work.

Here are five easy steps to turn an un-social brand more social:

1. Be creative: Some brands don’t have a long social media shelf life, and as a result, interactions come in waves. Devise creative ways to encourage more continuous interactions.
2. Define your target: Early on your user group will consist mostly of past customers. Find ways to engage them by asking for photos, video, comments and reviews. Then take this growth and begin targeting new customers.
3. Focus on content: If your customers won’t come together over a love for your brand or company, instead bring them together over content. Create blog posts, videos, audio and photo slideshows. Post them on your social profiles and use it as a basis for interaction.
4. Use as a backchannel: Social media offers a great platform for customer service. While many are still more comfortable calling with a question, some customers have converted to using Facebook and Twitter as a way to work out customer service issues.
5. Use to organize events: As many already know, Facebook has a great Events section, which it recently upgraded. Use Facebook Events to schedule in-store events and other company-related happenings. Twitter also has third-party websites for organizing events.

It’s important to remember that just because a company or brand is not obviously social, that there are no ways to make it work. It might require a more bespoke approach to engaging customers past, present and future, but it can be done.

Photo credit: Colin / Flickr

This afternoon eMarketer published a fascinating article based on research in ExactTarget’s “Subscribers, Fans and Followers” report.

The report highlights what many already know: That customers are listening to brands on multiple platforms. Knowing that, it’s important to present a united front in your brand’s communication and marketing strategies.

Most Internet users studied in April 2010 engaged with brands only via marketing emails, but nearly a third subscribed to emails in addition to being fans of brands on Facebook. The vast majority of social media fans or followers were also email subscribers.

Very interesting findings, no doubt. What this means, ultimately, is that there is less room for fragmentation in messaging. Your customers are getting your e-mail marketing messages, but they’re also a fan on Facebook.

This also means that there are greater opportunities to tailor offers and engagement efforts to individual platforms, knowing that your customers are on both. If you are looking to boost engagement on your Facebook page, tailor your efforts to put the spotlight on the Facebook page and incentivize customers to use it in the way that the company would like it to be used.

As always, eMarketer has condensed their findings into an easy-to-read infographic:

Looking specifically at social media, the report found that Twitter plays a specific role in how customers use social media to interact with brands:

Twitter appeals most to consumers who want to feel up to date and in the know, suggesting information about new products and services or other brand initiatives would be of interest.

I’m inclined to agree. Just look at Twitter’s latest eCommerce venture, EarlyBird (@EarlyBird) which brings “exclusive offers from Twitter’s select advertising partners” to more than 87,000 Twitter users, a number that is growing by 2,900+ every day.

Measurement tools exist to help companies determine the success/failure rate of their e-mail marketing efforts. This new information should help companies better tailor their messaging, and ensure that all of its social channels are singing the same tune.

Photo credit: Mohammad Jangda/Flickr

This is a primary barrier for many businesses that are considering becoming more active in social media: We use social media, but our customers don’t — so what’s the point?

My advice to businesses confronted with this dilemma: See it as an opportunity, not a barrier.

Your current customers may not be using social media so much that it makes sense to spend money to market to them — but your potential customers certainly are.

Social media engagement offers your company an opportunity to do a minor re-brand. You don’t need to change your identity, or your logo.

Instead re-focus and use social media to raise brand awareness amongst people who are not already customers. You should ensure that your current customers are aware of your social profiles and the benefits that come with being involved with them, but your focus should be on using social media to bring new customers.

It won’t happen over night, but over time you will see results.

Assess the social media plan after six months. Look for successes and failures. If possible, find a way to track new customers who came in as a direct result of social media engagement. This could be done by offering a discount, or other kinds of value.

Have realistic goals for new customer acquisition and be prepared to change course quickly, if an element of the strategy does not appear to be working well.

Also don’t forget to check back with your current customers — have any past customers joined? Are any past customers using your company’s social media channels frequently? If so, how are they using them?

Analytics are crucial, especially in new customer acquisition. Social media can enable that, so long as it’s done right.

Photo credit: Beck Tench/Flickr

This trend towards vertical online communities presents businesses with a choice: Leverage Facebook and Twitter to develop your online community and online customer experience, or develop your own bespoke online community.

For many companies it will come down to a matter of budget: Twitter and Facebook are free, or nearly free (depending on whether you pay for added options) whereas developing an online community costs money to plan, build and maintain. Sites such as socialengine and Ning both offer the ability to develop branded online communities, for a price.

Another deciding factor will be whether your customers are the kind that would benefit from, and ultimately, use, a customized, branded social media platform. It requires a specific connection to the product and brand for it to be successful.

One of my favorite examples is one I was just told about, called Take Me Fishing, developed by the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation. Here’s how they describe it:

RBFF has developed a wide variety of programs and products that make it easy for people to get involved in recreational boating and fishing. Under their Take Me Fishing™ brand and Anglers’ Legacy™ program, RBFF provides the tools to help people get started. RBFF also reminds lapsed boaters and anglers — people who enjoy the sport but no longer participate — about the joy they’ve been missing.

When users log into Take Me Fishing they are presented with a unique online community geared specifically toward their interests in fishing and outdoor activities. They interact with others who have similar interests, and are visiting the site for the same reason. The site hosts a crowd-sourced guide for the best fishing spots across the country, and has a social network called Fishington, where users can create profiles and interact.

This is a soft sell. The RBFF isn’t directly selling anything other than their image and their brand. This platform creates trust and brand recognition for the organization, by giving away something valuable.

Bespoke online communities are not a good fit for every brand, company or product. But for some, it is worth the investment in the long term.

Here’s a good example of that from ZDNet’s Enterprise 2.0 blog about community management:

In this infographic is a fairly in-depth breakdown of the various functions of an online community manager. It’s a position that is still being understood by businesses that don’t expressly work within the technology field. But as social tools and blogging becomes more widespread, more companies are understanding the value that an online community manager can offer their company and their customers.

So, does your company need one?

The latest evolution in social media, geolocation, has dealt with the same withering criticism by non-users. The difference is that the commercial applications of geolocation are much clearer than they are with Facebook or Twitter. There are many companies and services vying for geolocation users’ hearts, but right now that crown belongs to Foursquare.

Geolocation’s early adopters who saw the commercial appeal included Starbucks, who signed a deal with Foursquare to promote their Frappuccino Beverage by offering a discount to the “Mayors” of individual Starbucks locations.

Now it has begun to trickle down to SMBs (small and medium-sized businesses), who are also beginning to offer discounts and benefits to customers who “check-in” at their store.

Here are some tips that SMBs can use to engage their customers, encourage them to check-in and get them to tell their friends:

1. Keep it simple: If you’re going to offer a special via Foursquare or another geolocation application, it’s critically important that the steps a customer needs to take to receive the discount are as few as possible — ideally no more than two.
2. Don’t be cheap: If you’re going to offer customers discounts for checking in at your business, make it worth their while. The better the offer, the more likely customers are to tell their friends.
3. Track your stats: Foursquare offers businesses an analytics dashboard if you register with them. This allows businesses to track the activity at their store, including who checks-in most often, who last checked in and what the busiest check-in day is.
4. Keep it fresh: Mix up your offers to correspond with specific events or products. This encourages repeat check-ins, new customers and raises product awareness.
5. Move offline: When your business gets a new “mayor”, offer to recognize them in-store by having their name on a board, or posting their photo.

Every business is different, and as such, each strategy for using geolocation will differ. But the above five tips is a good jumping-off point for creating an individualized strategy for a small or medium-sized business.

During a meeting this afternoon with our client, III Forks — Jacksonville, we discussed their Facebook Fan Page, which has attracted 670+ local fans. We discussed ways to create a greater sense of community for its fans, and ways to deliver more value to them.

Because III Forks is a fine dining restaurant, and thus offers a fine dining experience, the community that it has online is a blend of different types of customers.

Despite that, these clusters of customer type share something in common: They’re all a part of III Forks — Jacksonville’s online community. They must be interacted with as one, not as groups.

III Forks has a great opportunity to offer tons of value to its online community in a variety of ways. The online community makes up a part of their core customer base — they’re the ones who will spread the brand by word-of-mouth and invite others to join the community.

If your brand does not have a community around it, one can be built. You’ve got to understand what platforms your customers are using online, and how they are using them. It’s also important to understand what you can offer this community to keep them engaged, and to ensure its continued growth.

With a restaurant, try offering exclusive discount opportunities. Facebook ads work well to raise awareness about specials. Or, if your restaurant offers something unique, use the ad as a way to raise awareness and distinguish yourself. Ensure that your ad also gives users the opportunity to “Like” your page.

Restaurants can also host exclusive tasting sessions. Creating an air of exclusivity for your brand’s online community is critical to ensuring that the community members feel appreciated and engaged. It also increases the likelihood that they will want to tell others about you.

When your online community starts working for you, then you know you’re doing something right.

]]> http://www.renaissancecreative.com/blog/2010/06/why-building-community-around-your-brand-is-important/feed/ 2 http://www.renaissancecreative.com/blog/2010/06/what-tablets-mean-for-your-clients-marketing-budget/ http://www.renaissancecreative.com/blog/2010/06/what-tablets-mean-for-your-clients-marketing-budget/#comments Fri, 18 Jun 2010 17:45:32 +0000 Ben LaMothe http://www.renaissancecreative.com/blog/?p=437 Earlier this week Forrester released new projections for the tablet computing market. While many expected the projection to be high, it is doubtful that anyone expected what Forrester has in mind.

Over at mobile marketing blog Mobile Marketing Watch, they have a breakdown of what Sarah Rotman Epps of Forrester laid out at the Untethered conference:

She expects 3.5 million tablets — including the iPad and other tablets — to be sold this year, growing to 20.4 million in 2015.  In addition, she expects desktop sales to drop from 18.7 million units in 2010 to 15.7 million units in 2015.

Take into account that Apple is selling about 1.2 million iPads per month, according to Apple Insider, and you soon realize that tablet computing is here to stay and its impact on web and digital marketing will be significant.

Because of the hype surrounding both the iPad and tablet computing in general, it is likely that digital agencies are being approached by their clients about whether they should take the plunge and develop their own iPad application.

If a client asks about developing an iPad app for their product or brand, first ask them these three questions:

1. The most basic iPad costs $500, and the 3G-enabled iPad costs $650. Are your core customers buying them?
2. The most successful applications on iPhone and iPad are games, so if your app is not a game, are you OK with not ranking highly in the app store?
3. Do you have an iPhone app, and if so, how successful was it? What would be different on the iPad app?

Having an iPad application means offering content all of the time. It is a media consumption device more than a media creation device. You can send e-mails and do most everything that you can do on a laptop or desktop computer, but with the iPad, the experience is different. The screen is large, so design and user experience is much more important.

The iPad offers brands a way to interact with its customers in a new way. But it also requires brands to be more open to these changes, as they are happening rapidly.

First, I want to clear a few things up. No two social media platforms are alike, and each requires its own strategy for engagement and ROI. It’s important to go into any social media strategy session with that in mind.

But when the time does come to develop strategies, use this handy five-point checklist as a guide:

— Facebook is nothing like Twitter

— Some brands are not Twitter-friendly (i.e. the user base either isn’t there, or it’s not the appropriate channel)

— Some brands are not Facebook-friendly (i.e. people don’t feel connected to the brand in such a way to leave messages on a large message board)

— If your Facebook fan page does not offer value to users and customers, it will not deliver value to the company

— Deleting negative comments on Facebook left by fans or users will ultimately do more harm than good. Do the leg work to turn a negative into a positive

For this post, I’d like to address the fourth point, about creating value for users and customers. While there are many examples of companies that do this poorly, there are a number that do it well. One great example of this is Ford Motor Company. Over at the Inside Facebook blog, they’ve got a breakdown of what Ford is doing with its Fan Page:

The Ford Motor Company has chosen the Ford Explorer Facebook page to give the public a first glimpse of the totally redesigned 2011 model. This breaks from the usual debut of a new model, which traditionally is made at large auto shows, and shows the auto company’s commitment to its social media marketing efforts. There is no set date for a full unveil, but teaser photos are already up on the site, as well as video of a cloaked 2011 Explorer in action.

This strategy is being characterized as a success, and rightfully so. Ford is offering tangible value to its fans on Facebook. The company isn’t giving its fans money, or even discounts. Rather, they’re treating the fans with respect and status: Become a fan on Facebook and get the first look at the new model of Ford Explorer. It’s a highly targeted campaign, and because of that, the engagement levels are high.

Before your company launches a Facebook fan page for itself, first think about why you are launching it. As yourself these questions:

— What do you want your customers to get out of being your Fan on Facebook?

— What will you offer your brand’s Fans on Facebook, that will make them want to stick around, and tell others about it?

— What do you want to get out of having a Facebook Fan Page for your brand?

Answer the above three questions and then decide if a Facebook Fan Page is right for you. Launching a Fan Page just to have one has the potential to cause more harm than good. Leaving it unattended opens the brand up to fans taking it over and thus diluting your brand’s messaging.

But if you have someone at the helm, monitoring and, at times, controlling the conversation, then the brand and company will be much better off.

Ben has been a guest blogger for such prestigious online communities as Media140.org, Econsultancy.com and FreshNetworks.com. His areas of expertise include developing and implementing unique strategies in Social Media Marketing; Multimedia Content Creation, Distribution and Aggregation; Blogging; Online Community Development (internal and external); Customer Relationship Management (CRM); and Social Customer Relationship Management (SCRM). Ben has worked in industries ranging from non-profits, to farming, IT, luxury marketing, academia, news media, textiles and destination resorts.

I met Ben through a brief Twitter exchange one evening (surprise) while we were both up late working on marketing plans. He quickly showed himself to be a very creative, intelligent and knowledgeable online marketer and journalist, the kind of professional that’s hard to find, that you can’t have too many of these days.

While Ben is the kind of person who may operate his own full-time consultancy one day, our plans are to slowly, get him addicted to the high-octane, double-caffeinated coffee we brew around here, then “convince” him its best not to leave. At any rate, as long as he’s working on his thesis, Ben will be ours! Look for Ben to be contributing to “Make Belief”, the official blog of Renaissance Creative with a focus on new and social media; web marketing trends; branding and community building.

He’ll also be taking a look at the online presences of businesses throughout North Florida, so don’t be surprised if you get a phone call from him one day, or if walks in and introduces himself and offers to show you how we might be able to help your business in this challenging and ever-changing new economy.

Welcome Ben!

The 2010 Winter Olympics are behind us and I for one am sad to see them go. There were so many compelling moments that defined the Vancouver Games for me, from snowboarder Shaun White’s incredible Double McTwist 1260 in the half-pipe (a trick only he can perform); to Apolo Ohno passing the Chinese team in the anchor lap of the 5000 meter short track relay to become the most decorated American in Winter Olympic history; to the final frantic seconds of regulation and overtime in the US–Canada gold medal hockey game. But nothing brought me to edge of my seat like Lindsey Vonn and Bode Miller’s exhilarating performances in the men’s and women’s downhill.

What I love so much about all of our Olympic Athletes and find so well-exemplified in these two, in this event, is their absolute understanding and embracement of a simple, but profound principle. One I believe creatives should never forget: That distinguishing achievement often requires more than talent and training; more than skill and desire; more than preparation or luck. It most often requires exceptional courage and a willingness to take extraordinary risks. And that’s not easy or natural, for anyone.

Consider that when Vonn raced, in addition to a badly bruised leg, she also faced the pressures of a spectacular run by teammate Julia Mancuso, just moments earlier. Vonn was rattled. But rather than downplay the challenge, Lindsey’s husband and coach, Thomas, radioed his wife specifically to confirm for Lindsey that Mancuso had a “special run” and to relate, “You’re going to have to be perfect to win.” Vonn would later state that this strategic message from her husband allowed her to “let go” of her fears and instead, “focus on that challenge”. She subsequently took the most aggressive lines all the way down the mountain, coming perilously close to wiping out at nearly every turn. The result– she beat Mancuso’s “sepcial run” by over a full half-second.

Likewise, ignoring treacherous course conditions resulting from warm weather and light snow, Bode Miller attacked the downhill course with reckless abandon to become the first American men’s skier to stand on the podium for that event since Tommy Moe, sixteen years ago. His bronze medal time was 1:54.40, only nine hundredths of a second behind gold medalist, Didier Defago, the smallest differential between gold and bronze in Olympic history. Said Miller of his performance and his American team, “We went after it. We weren’t scared. We were always aggressive.”

Of course, while a willingness to lay it all on the line can pay huge dividends as it did in both of these instances, it never guarantees success and often sets the stage for spectacular failure. Later, attempting to go 5 for 5 in Olympic events in the slalom –the one event for which he had not won an Olympic medal– on a difficult course on sticky, wet snow that was proving difficult for many of the racers, Miller did not change his approach. The consequence: he ran into trouble almost right out of the gate. Said Miller,  “It’s unfortunate to go out so early, but you have to take risks… and I did.”

I believe creatives, from designers, to copywriters to marketing strategists should take the same approach as Miller, Vonn and others and not allow themselves to be constrained by fear. I appreciate creatives who are willing to explore their most conceptual ideas, even if it results in more misses than hits. I know that by doing so, this will give them the best chance to come up with something great, which is the only thing I ever want to present to a client.

Great creative work must always take a point of view. It has to “say something” to be memorable. Remember that people respond to “different” and “unpredictable”. In this sense, “safe” is risky. The real problems begin when fear- the fear of mistakes, the fear of looking foolish, the fear that someone won’t “get” your idea, prevents you from saying anything at all. I once heard Jeff Kling, ECD of Euro RSCG put it this way: “Screw-ups are tools of evolution. They help us survive.” There’s a lot of wisdom in that statement. Remember also, that in the business of marketing and advertising, we’re not looking to connect with the 80% of people who may not “get”, or like, or even care at all about our creative, but rather the 20% who do, and are inspired to act upon it. 

So the next time you’re faced with a daunting creative challenge (or business challenge, or life challenge), don’t allow yourself to become compromised by fear. Rather, recognize that most of life’s rewards are not without risk; that we all fall sometimes; and that even those instants leave us better prepared to make some truly extraordinary runs in the future. If nothing else, we’ll put people on the edge of their seats. At least for marketers, that’s our job.

Related videos (Note: Viewing videos from nbcolympics.com may require a quick, free upload of Microsoft Silverlight)
• How to Stomach Fear in the Downhill
• Lindsey Vonn’s 2010 Olympic Downhill Gold Medal Run
• Bode Miller’s 2010 Olympic Downhill Bronze Medal Run

Thanks to Matt Earley, an Arkansas-based creative, musician, minister, ad man and achiever for his inspiration. During a recent Twitter exchange in which I commented how much I loved the, “put-everything-on-line” spirit of the Olympic athletes, it was Matt who came back with the question, “a great parallel for life”? Yes Matt, it is. Keep attacking! Join us on Twitter: @mattearley; @thamby

1. Instead of “LifeLock.com”, someone will create “LifeHock.com”, the first web portal where you can go to freely surrender your non-identity theft personal data– name, age, profession, income, hobbies/interests and contact information, in exchange for commissions based on how many times your information is re-sold to marketers, and how desirable your demographics. They’re going to get it eventually– why not get a fair cut and receive only high-quality, targeted spam?

2. Traditional media — In a last ditch effort to survive, newspapers will give up trying to marginalize bloggers as non-journalists and begin aggressively recruiting and hiring the most influential among them, in an effort to capture those bloggers’ audiences for their own benefit (cable has already thrown in the towel). Print will continue to shrivel under the heat of digital media.

3. The science of networks, not just social and MLM, but physical, virtual, biological, mathematical, online, offline, proven and theoretical will grow into a huge topic of conversation.

4. Ashton Kutcher will demonstrate the Klout of 5,000,000 Twitter followers, when he announces his bid for Governor of the State of California. At the height of the media frenzy surrounding his massive fundraising potential, Kutcher will show up unannounced on Larry King, revealing to scheduled guest and prior leading candidate, Jerry Brown that he has just been Punk’d!

5. The cult of celebrity won’t die no matter how hard stars themselves (Charlie Sheen, Tiger, Paris, etc.,) seemingly try to extinguish it. Celebrity is only enhanced by controversy.

6. Television also won’t be going anywhere (except to our mobile phones). And lo- I can envision a time when more brands will skip product placement and go straight into the cable network business. Consider: The Walmart Home Shopping Network; Coca-Cola “Happiness” Channel; IKEA Home & Design or Pfizer Health Sciences Networks.

7. Augmented Reality and 3D TV is (virtually) upon us. Get ready to hear a lot of, “But, ‘Fill in the Blank’ has a 3D TV!!!” from your kids.

8. “Crowds” will begin turning into angry mobs, once they realize that they are actually working inside “virtual” sweatshops.

9. The social media pendulum will begin to experience the full effects of gravity as nay-sayers, never-tryers and contrarians increasingly question its effectiveness as a legitimate marketing tool. There are already websites where people are going to commit “social media suicide”.

10. …However, I believe social media is an undeniably valuable tool for SEO (still one of today’s marketing cornerstones), and that it can be used very effectively for branding and marketing when integrated strategically, naturally, creatively and consistently. Those who give up on it too soon will be sorry down the road because networks by their nature, grow exponentially over time.

11. Aggregation and digital distribution will continue to make a lot more people rich.

12. Collaboration, a “new” old concept in work/business models, will also result in growing partnerships between brands as effective sales & product extension strategies. While Apple and Google won’t be hooking up any time soon, Ford recently announced it will use Best Buy’s sales force to demonstrate their new Sync voice controlled communications and entertainment technology.
Old concept: Collaboration. New Buzzword: Symbiotic Marketing.

13. Advertising won’t “go away”, as it is part and parcel of capitalism and free market economies. We can only hope that it will be more thoughtfully “imposed” upon us. Concepts, ideas and overall creativity will become more valued than high-quality executions in digital or traditional media, except to those inside the industry, who understand the critical importance of both.

14. Top agencies will increasingly be looked to as high-level strategic partners, contributing more significant ideas for creation of new markets, product development and broader corporate sales and marketing initiatives. In so doing, simple pay-per-service fees may be supplemented or replaced with equity partnerships and return-on-performance financial models.

15. The stigma associated with asking creative agencies for spec work will finally begin to resonate outside of the industry and into the collective consciousness of the corporate mainstream. Clients will eventually quit asking, out of concern for their own ethical reputations.

16. Giving back is going to become fundamental, and “givewashers” will be “outed”. Corporations and uber-wealthy individuals have it in their power to affect serious change in the world, while also inspiring an army of brand loyalists and imitators. Critical will be approaching it earnestly, creatively and in a way careful not to suggest self-appointed elites pushing Marxism as “progressive”.

17. “Honesty, transparency and authenticity.” Aren’t you sick of hearing those words? Me too, and I’ve blogged about them a lot. But the fact that these themes aren’t going away is a wonderful thing. If you’re something other than what you purport to be, someone will discover it; share it with ten friends; and you’ll be left to watch relevance slip through your fingers like sand.

…And my final prediction:

18. It’s nothing specific I see coming, just a feeling I can’t escape. It’s difficult to describe, and even harder to define. But, from tidal waves to earthquakes; from global warming to global recession; from fractured governments to failing banks; from falling idols to faltering families; from tea parties, to housing hangovers, to “reality” that is created and still largely controlled by the media– something over the past decade has left us feeling seriously “undone”. But, I predict that as this sentiment continues to emerge, that we’ll all respond in positive ways… By giving more to others than we expect back in return. By collaborating, sharing resources and ideas. By putting our children’s interests before our own. Listening to one another. And most of all, by seeking guidance, not from our celebrities, politicians or even our Facebook friends– but from above.

Have a great 2010.

P.S. Did I mention that I thought Leno at 10 PM was going to be a brilliant move?…

I don’t know how much buzz the profile garnered, but as a creative, I noticed a real gem in it that I felt merited further focus and discussion.

What’s that in the “frame grab” you ask? These are Chris Martin’s notes to himself and his bandmates, one of many posted on the walls, a whiteboard and even Martin’s studio piano (he scribbles on it in green marker),

More precisely, they are reminders of key principles which have helped Coldplay become astoundingly successful- a “secret formula” if you will, of philosophical beliefs and strategic tactics that the band employs consistently, covering everything from song construction; to photo / video guidelines; to marketing and public relations positioning; and general business.

In the interview, news journalist, Steve Kroft, framed Martin’s practice as somehow aberrant, stating: “He is a compulsive worrier and list-maker. He sends himself electronic messages, and scrawls notes on scraps of paper, on his hands, and anything else that’s available, lest he forget some brilliant idea. Like many artists, he is openly, gloriously neurotic.”

“Neurotic?”

I call it pure business acumen- (beautifully) equal parts creative and analytical.

How many new ideas or profound realizations arrive for many of us at unexpected moments? Insights that you just can’t afford to forget? What do you do? Grab a pencil and jot ‘em down, of course! Most designers I know keep idea/sketch books handy and I’ve got plenty of notebooks and post-it notes full of marketing, design, business and leadership lessons that I’ve either come to realize myself, or have picked up from others much wiser than me.

“The most powerful element in advertising is the truth”…
“Always have a point of view”…
“Make an emotional connection”…
“Don’t be afraid that a concept will go over your customers heads. If you assume they’re dumb, they may be smarter than you”…
“Safe is risky”…
“Advertising can’t create product advantages, only convey them”…

And so on.

I keep them where I can always be consciously reminded of their powerful truths. If you happen to be the kind of person who instinctively organizes your standards and observations into digital files- congratulations! If you prefer a bulletin board, whiteboard or post-it’s, I can relate. If you use a green sharpie on your white grand piano, then ummm… well, o.k…. maybe Martin is a little bit more obsessive than most.

But, based upon what I can clearly see in Chris’ notes, he is a man that is more calculating than confused; more cognitive than compulsive; more analytical than anxious. I see someone who is introspective and intelligent, and not inappropriately impulsive. Creatives, take note.

Coldplay’s “mysteries”, revealed:

1. Albums must be no longer than 42 minutes, or 9 tracks.
2. Production must be amazing, rich, but with space, not overlayered, less tracks, more quality, groove and swing. Drums/rhythm are the most crucial thing to concentrate on; difference between “Bittersweet” and “Science of silence.” [A reference to The Verve and Richard Ashcroft solo]
3. Computers are instruments, not recording aids.
4. Imagery must be classic, colourful and different. Come back in glorious technicolor.
5. Make sure videos and pictures are great before setting release date. And highly original.
6. Always keep mystery. Not many interviews.
7. Groove and swing. Rhythms and sounds must always sound as original as possible. Once Jon has melody, twist it and weird it.
8. Promo/review copies to be on vinyl. Stops copying problem, sounds and looks better.
9. Jacqueline Sabriado, ns p c c, face forward/review. (?)
10. Think about what to do with charity account. Set up something small, enabling and constructive. Ref J. Oliver Fifteen [a reference to Jamie Oliver's Fifteen Restaurant in London]

No sooner than I had thought this, than another group member, posted this reply: “This approach assumes that design is to be judged on some standard of design, independent of anything else. First comes an objective in regard to marketing materials. Marketing establishes an objective (or objectives) and develops a strategy to realize those objectives. Design not only does not perform independent of these things, but to be successful, it must assume that marketing did their job correctly and visually enable the strategy to effectively work, to realize the objectives. Good commercial design (i.e. graphic design) when done well is a measurement of how well marketing did their job.”

This designer’s thoughts were similar to mine, but I believe there’s a little more to it. Criteria is the foundation of effective design and includes more than just objectives and strategy. It includes things like a thorough understanding of who your audience is, how they are unique, where they are, what they do and what their passions are. It includes understanding attributes, benefits, strengths and weaknesses of the brand. A study of competition, how to stand out… and much more. The designer should help contribute and synthesize all this in the design process.

I think more thought leaders (CEO’s, CMO’s, CTO’s), are recognizing the rich benefits of seamless collaboration between disciplines and “departments”. I believe it is critically important that marketers understand design methodology and that designers be actively engaged in criteria development from the start- not sitting and waiting for the next “order”. How can you achieve full creative potential with an assembly-line mentality? You can’t.

The same holds true for interaction between web designers, programmers, PR, strategists, media planners, writers, etc. Here at Renaissance we are about seamless collaboration. Our designers are intelligent, strategic thinkers who have a broad range of individual capabilities. And we use all of them to achieve the best results for our clients.

Many years ago, legendary ad man, William Bernbach had the vision to combine copywriters and art directors into two-person teams—they had commonly been in separate departments. So, why did we ever stop there? Fragmenting the brand internally will inherently, weaken it externally. The bottom line is that the more diversified skill sets you put on a problem from the onset, the better your chance of arriving at an effective solution. In my opinion, this is one “general” principle of design that if utilized uniformly, would allow us to say with conviction, “Here’s what all great pieces really have in common”.

I’m not referencing the lack of aesthetic refinement of any particular American make or model. Perhaps to the surprise of some, great design isn’t just about looks or style. Nor is it an issue related specifically to engineering, price, performance or service following the sale. Rather, it’s about the cumulative nature of all of these qualities and how a company’s products and services make their customers “feel” over time.

Great design emerges from a specific kind of organizational “culture”. It is guided by a commitment to understanding your customers (and your “brand advocates”, including your internal team and supply chain), on a human level, so that you can connect with them there emotionally. It’s a problem-solving process that can be utilized in every facet of your business. And in today’s world, it is fast becoming not only a powerful competitive advantage for those all-too-familiar companies that clearly “get it” (Apple, Target, BMW), but a survival tool for those hoping to compete in a tumultuous new economy — a world where companies are increasingly being forced to choose between operating as standardized commodities, or class leaders. I’d theorize that the fact that American automakers occupy neither space distinctly or consistently is a potential source of their problems.

So, how can we utilize the power of design to its full potential in our businesses? A great way to start is simply understanding what design is and the methodology behind it. And don’t worry– you don’t have to be Steve Jobs or Michael Graves to do this.

While design was one of my responsibilities years ago, it rarely rose above my roles as a writer, marketer, strategist and generalist. But, I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside some great ones for many years, and so have come to understand their processes well. Whether you’re talking about industrial, environmental, graphic, interactive or experiential design or whether you’re referencing product development, marketing, branding or organizational attributes, the methodology remains wonderfully, consistently effective.

It is a process based on inquisition; exploration; anticipation; innovation and continual trial and refinement. It is focused obsessively on user-experience (i.e. What’s in it for the customer?). It’s about fostering positive emotional connections with users by focusing on the most sublime details (this is where professional designers are worth their weight in gold and where brands — some knowingly, some unwittingly — often make that choice between invariable “commodity” or “class leader”). Oh yes, and be forewarned: The design “process” never, ever “ends”, because time inherently presents us with new sets of problems to anticipate and resolve.

Many people fail to recognize design as this type of a problem-solving “tool”. They understand it only as one recent prospective client did, when in the course of attempting to pay our firm a compliment, noted our reputation as a creative agency, and said that we are great at making things, “pretty”.

As we noted in a subsequent blog post (http://www.rencreative.com/blog “Pretty?!! Please!!!”), design isn’t about being “pretty”, “good-looking” or even “kinda cute”. Design is about criteria-based problem-solving. And only when a project’s criteria calls for “pretty”, will it be designed in such a way because form follows function.

This is where much public understanding of design tends to get lost.

You see, design is not art. Art is subjective, based on an artist’s personal expression. Design is objective, based on well-organized performance criteria.

Good design is not influenced by the designer’s personal feelings and is only beautiful when it works beautifully — when it effectively achieves what it is designed to achieve.

My iPod is a work of art. But, it works because it can hold a thousand songs in a smooth, elegant case about the size of a book of matches. Same thing with my iPhone. It’s sleek and beautiful and it’s a working computer that’s thinner than my wallet! These things make me feel good about my purchases of them, good about the Apple brand and thus more likely to purchase the next new gizmo Apple puts in front of me.

I trust the company because they provided me with great products and services that have translated into positive memorable experiences, over time. They’ve elevated their brand for me, to the point where I not only use their products loyally, I’ll pay more to get them, because I recognize the value they extend over the long run through the quality of their design. So often, so many companies waste so much money throwing more media dollars after bad brands, when they could have dedicated their budgets to creating stronger brands that require less marketing across the life of their products!

This is not say that good design has to cost more. Just look at Target. They’ve created a design-driven company, whose entire business model is, “great design for less!” Same with IKEA. Their commitment to design runs throughout their products, retail spaces, marketing efforts and no doubt, their entire internal structure.

Meanwhile, American automakers seem confused. They don’t understand their customers and they’ve admitted it. They say they can’t figure out if we want better gas mileage and lower prices; or more room and greater safety for ourselves, and our families.

Hey, how about both?!

If Steve Jobs can cram 1,000 songs into a gorgeous matchbook; if Target can give us haute couture for $19.99, then we know it can be accomplished! And if you want to make sure your brands transcend the competition in lasting, meaningful ways by connecting with us on an emotional, human level —– then by all means, leave the jets parked on your day trips.

Ultimately, not every company has to be a BMW, UPS, Apple, Starbucks, Disney, Samsung or any other of the many organizations that understand “design culture” and employ it throughout every aspect of their businesses. You can choose to utilize design methodology to attack any individual problem and integrate it to whatever level your personal business philosophy begets – or your customers demand.

Regardless of how you use it, here are some handy tips to help keep you “thinking” like a designer:
1. Define the problem: Gather all the criteria by gathering all the stakeholders. Design is a collaborative process. The more brains you involve in problem-solving, the more effective your solutions can potentially be, though someone should always clearly lead.
2. Put yourself in the place of your customer: It seems so obvious, yet is so easy to forget. You’ve got to intently focus on the user, at all times.
3. Inquire: Ask these important questions: What’s in it for the customer? What are their desires / needs / fears? How can I address these wants / needs or anxieties and foster positive emotional connections with users by answering these concerns? How do my products and services make people feel? How can I connect with them on a human level? (Hint: Use your gut).
4. Anticipate and Innovate: As we are fond of saying at Renaissance, “Think forward”. Anticipate change. Study consumer, cultural, media and technological trends and consider how your product or service might intersect with these shifts down the road.
5. No idea is a bad idea: Everyone has a creative gene, from the Creative Director right down to the mail room. Never be overly critical or dismissive of a new approach. Consider all ideas thoughtfully and respectfully.
6. Never be satisfied: Test your ideas, measure their results and never stop refining.
7. When in doubt, consult a professional.

If you elect not to integrate the principles of design into your organizational culture, it doesn’t mean that you’ll end up sweating in front of a microphone, getting flogged by an elected official. But if you do, I promise that your customers (and your people), will notice. They’ll feel that you care. They’ll stick by your class-leading company in up or down economies. And when they shake their heads, it won’t be because you are so woefully disconnected, but because you are so consistently, astonishingly good.

Hey, I didn’t say it! Jonathan Baskin did in his book, Branding Only Works on Cattle.

In it, Baskin challenges the relevance of traditional branding and its effectiveness in today’s digital world of fragmented media and connected consumers who “aren’t paying attention, don’t believe or can’t remember stuff, anyway.” If you are a marketing professional, or anyone involved in advertising or brand development, with an agency or in-house—go buy this book!

Tony Fortunato, interior designer and thinker here at RC, checked Baskin’s book out from the Downtown library, and passed it along to me just before Thanksgiving. A few days on a farm in South Carolina gave me plenty of time to absorb it, but it’s not going back to the library anytime soon. We snagged it for another 3 weeks and now Ed Bondi (one of the partners here), has it! So, save yourself some time and just click on the title link above and order it from Amazon. No—they aren’t commissioning me, but you might want to! Heck, Ed read about three pages, came back to my office and said he had been “liberated”! That’s the effect that this book will likely have on anyone who has made a career of developing and promoting brands, who are honest and willing to ask themselves tough, introspective questions. And while I don’t agree with every point that Baskin makes, his core ideas are fundamentally, undeniably valid.

These include the fact that there exists a dichotomy between branding and business reality that is becoming ever more noticeable. That branding over the years has mutated into a big, vague, esoteric “idea.” That somewhere along the line, branding separated itself from marketing (and hard sales absolutes) and in doing so, absolved itself from corporate culpability. That branding is qualitative, not quantitative, but there exists a “multi-billion dollar Creative Media Industrial Complex, dedicated to maintaining its status quo.”

Baskin points out that traditional branding emerged from a time when there just 3 major networks and a handful of daily newspapers. Today, there are 500 cable channels, 1,500 newspapers, nearly 18 million satellite radio subscribers and oh yeah—the world wide web, GOOGLE and social networks! So, simply telling people what you want them to think about your company and repeating it over and over through a limited number information outlets no longer works.

Most of us are really not influenced to purchase things as much because of slogans, logos or clever ads, but rather because of our experiences with products and companies.

If, for example there were no more hipster commercials with “MacGuy”, Justin Long, would that stop you from buying Apple products? Of course not, because Apple’s products and services are innovative, well-designed and consumer-friendly! Your real life experience tells you this, not Apple ads.

Baskin points out that, “we (consumers) determine what brands are”; and our experiences are based on real-time behaviors—how companies interact with us—and the experience we take from those interactions. Baskin uses a great example—Starbucks. Ever notice that they hardly even do any advertising? Instead, they simply concentrate on making the customer experience great. What this all means is that businesses need to worry more about how they behave and how we behave.

To this end, Baskin suggests that traditional branding exercises, like putting big money into silly messages that only serve to “raise awareness” or “plant a seed” in hopes that consumers might remember a brand when they are ready to purchase, might better be spent on making the reality of your product better, faster, more convenient and satisfying. Then, marketing to consumers based on a behavioral model he calls, “The Chronology of Purchase Intent”.

This references a sequence of behaviors that we all go through when making a purchase decision, including an initial information search (obviously most often via the web or friends); evaluation; alternatives consideration; purchase decision; and least we not forget, post-purchase evaluation. (You want that repeat business, don’t you?)!

So, as a marketer, Baskin says you must think about: Who your targets are; What you want them to do; Where you expect them to buy things; When you think things happen; Why the current step will lead to the next one; and How the steps will ultimately link into an expression of brand. Baskin states that you have to ask these questions, then find ways to intersect consumer behavior with your brand, in ways that compel the customer from step-to-step with the end result being the purchase of your company or product (and a genuinely satisfying experience along the way!).

He believes that integrated campaigns that use gaming as a model (where one clue or piece of useful information leads to another, with each step providing a valuable takeaway, useful towards claiming some ultimate prize—the sale), is a good one to consider when planning brand campaigns in today’s democratized world of abundant choices and information channels.

Baskin’s book is full of clear thought about the modern meaning and delivery of brand. In the very few places where you believe he might sail off into the fluffy world of theory and academia that he himself is railing against when it comes to traditional branding; he yanks you back to reality and compels you to consider brand in a tangible, quantifiable and valuable new context—one infinitely more rewarding for all of us than its current status as a underwhelming means towards “glorified name recognition.”

Check out Jonathan Baskin’s own feisty brand marketing blog at: dimbulb.typepad.com