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a Must Have Innovation, or Marketing Fad ??...by David BookoutSee Updates { 3 } & Comments below: As Micro Lending becomes a more popular alternative to entrepreneurial funding, a concept, and a term that I'm calling "Micro Branding", is just getting started within the Social Media Management Systems ( SMMS ) sector. For years I've drudgingly researched the boring, unimaginative, and downright frightfully designed "offers" that hawkers have been promoting in the Social Media space. During that time I've landed on and reviewed hundreds, if not thousands, of "capture" and "squeeze" pages designed to separate me from my money. The ultimate test, right ~ transaction with a paying customer ? ! As I said, most of these "offers" were boring, un-differentiated, un-compelling non-starters. Executive Summary: Technical innovation, message, including value proposition, clearly delivered in print and video, good tech support structure utilizing Zend, a rocking affiliate program, and the personal touch of Tammy as the persona behind the brand. Nice !!!!! ~ Update 1 ~ I still like it... ~ Update 2 ~ The lack of branding capability on the FB side of MarketMeTweets is disappointing, but liveable, if I first post to Twitter, which is then linked to FaceBook. More recently, however, I came across "Micro Branding", which appears to be a new niche creatively identified by Tammy Kahn Fennell and Alan Hamlyn. And, as good niche identifiers do, they built a tool that they call MarketMeTweet, which is a downloadable application that enables the brands you manage to own precious real estate on Twitter and facebook and much, much more. In total the tool helps you manage Social Media communications for a number of different accounts from within a common dashboard. Nice. Here's how it works on the Twitter Platform: Normally, your Tweets carry someone else's brand in the real estate below your 140 character wisdom, just like "...by twitterfeed" in this example:  But, with MarketMeTweet you're able to brand build for the brand of your choice, like we have used "EFFETTI" in this example:  For those of you that haven't already said, cool, and clicked on one of the MarketMeTweet links above to find out more, or just sign up ~ then, you discerning folks might be asking questions like: (a) How does this benefit from an SEO perspective, or (b) How does this work if I'm an iPad, or mobile user ?? ~ Good points !! ~ Should we get those answers we'll be sure to update this post... Update 3: August 7th ~ MarketMeTweet's FB limitation seems blurry on the marketing side... MarketMeTweet's Tammy says; "The reason the facebook one is not the easiest too is notice - when you click on it it must go to an actual application - whereas with twitter it goes directly to a website ;)"  So, we did more testing and found the MarketMeTweet Micro Brand Link actually goes to a FB landing page for MarketMeTweet { Looks like a "website" to me ;-}, where another click IS REQUIRED via the ( Go To Application ) button, to go to the actual application page itself, which is here ( http://apps.facebook.com/marketmetweet/ ). Keep working on it Tammy, we understand corporate sales, and still like the product ( v.2.2.9 ). Update 2: August 6th ~ MarketMeTweet's Tammy responds to their tool's lack of "Brand" capability on the FaceBook side as "...we're working on it". With a work around, I still like it, and wonder about a cloud based version !?... Update 1: August 6th ~ MarketMeTweet's FaceBook beta ~ I must be doing something wrong ?...  After quickly configuring the FB account within the MarketMeTweet application the first post above exhibits a MarketMeTweet brand, so I need to check the settings. Perhaps, you have to add ( duplicate for me because I already did this on the Twitter side ) the brands you will be managing ? Nope, it looks like the Micro Branding is currently, only available from the Twitter side of the application, which I hope is high on the list of upgrades for the FaceBook beta, please...
...A QUICK GUIDE TO TAKING THE LEAP & GETTING STARTED...by David BookoutRelated Post: Brand Building - Portal Strategies... Several individual clients have recently expressed anxiety over getting their new business offers up and running on the internet. Historically, you have had to have the ability to create a pleasing graphic design, AND the ability and knowledge to HTML code to take such a leap. But, now all that has changed, here is how !!First, FREE WebSite capability has expanded significantly. For the uninitiated building a WebSite used to pretty painful, but now there are a multitude of tools available for both public and private viewing. One of my favorites is the Posterous WebSite / Blog engine. The sample site here was created in less than 1 hour. You don't have to worry about look and feel, and you can load content right from your eMail client. SWEET !! Second, you need a payment engine. Whether your selling products, or pure service PayPal is an excellent way to receive client payments, and even take credit cards without setting up a full merchant account. Third, you may want the ability to sell complimentary products. Amazon has recently created the ability for virtually anyone to create an online store. This is INCREDIBLE, here is a link to a Contractor Store example that only took seconds to create. You can sign up for an Amazon Affiliate account here. © Copyright 2009 - Effetti, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.The image was found on, and may be © Copyright to PersistentIllusion
...Your Gonna Have To Do Some Steppin Out !...by David BookoutRelated Post: How To Build A Personal Brand...Related Post: Why build a Personal Brand ?...Related Post: What is a Personal Brand ?...Related Tool: Personal Brand Strategy Brief Perhaps not dressed exactly as our photo suggests, but to build a successful Personal Brand today, I think it is pretty much a guarantee that you'll have to step outside of your comfort zone. After all, what's comfortable, particularly for the growing number of folks that have been affected by the "corporate sizing" issues we seem to be hearing so much about these days, just doesn't matter. Discomfort is becoming normal. We've got some posts coming up in which we'll be offering some uncommon thinking about actions you can be in, right now, today, to set yourself apart. But, this post is about technology as a differentiating medium for Personal Brand Building. So, let's look at some examples of people stepping out to use technology to create not only their own personal brands, but whole businesses in the process: Justine Ezarik @ iJustine.com is steppin out ! Dan Schwabel @ PersonalBrandingBlog.com is steppin out ! Stephanie Quilao @ TheEveryDayBlogger.com is steppin out ! What makes each of them unique? It's not that they are young! It's that they are each embracing technology to extend their reach and expand their circle of influence!! They are exploiting the benefits of technology to create a life style that works for each of them, in their own way, and on their own terms. I was recently contacted by a client who said "I'm thinking about doing a blog", what tips can you give me!? My advise? Get started. Now, for the particular business this client was in, a blog was almost a standard of care in terms of keeping in touch with their client base, and desired audience. In other situations, this is NOT the case. Nothing is a blanket fix. But, some things just make sense. If YOU need to build your identity to get where you want to go next, here are four ( 4 ) quick thoughts: Start Practicing / Do Something - Blogger.com, and LinkedIn.com, and FaceBook.com are great places to get started. Share With Friends - Each of these sites, with the exception of Blogger, which needs another mechanism to facilitate the process, is fundamentally about connecting with friends. In regards to Blogger, set up a private site, and invite your friends, and colleagues to read. Venture Outside Of Your Own Standard Practices - Spend a little bit of time everyday to be an observer of what's going on in the world. I'm not talking about reading the newspaper online. I'm talking about clicking around and see what others like; Justine, Dan, Stephanie, and others are doing with technology. How they are using the technologies they are using and why. Don't Give Up - This isn't like watching TV. It takes a little bit of time and energy, but can be well worth it in the long run. Because if your looking for a new job, looking to turn your hobby, or passion into a business, or just looking to focus on giving back to the community through service, these mediums are essential to a successful future. © Copyright 2009 - Effetti, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.
The article "How To Build A Personal Brand ( II )...", the subtitle "...Your Gonna Have To Do Some Steppin Out !..." and contents herein, unless otherwise specified in writing - by Effetti, Inc. are ALSO licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available by contacting the author through Effetti, Inc. http://www.effettigrowth.com/about-contact.php.The image was found on, and may be © Copyright to RecitalExpo.com
...Obama's "return to virtuous ethics" as a good example !...by David BookoutRelated Post: Why build a Personal Brand ?...Related Post: What is a Personal Brand ?...Related Tool: Personal Brand Strategy BriefYou may, or may not like our smiling President, but that is NOT the point of this piece.  Obama's suggestion that we return to virtuous ethics is more than interesting. I'm not suggesting he actually said this, but, in effect within the language he chooses to use as our leader in describing how he will lead America into the future, this is what he is advocating we do as followers. Powerful stuff !! "Ethics" are our standards for how we treat one another. "Virtuous" is about having excellent standards. I've got to say that I LOVE to hear Obama speak, and if you've taken the time to watch / hear him, perhaps you too may have noticed the physical change in your body when you see and hear him. Look, feel, tone, manner, and clear, compelling content is at the heart of effective Brand Building. Personal Brand Building is no different. A good place to watch / experiment with how; look, feel, tone, manner and content effects / affects us is, oddly enough, in the John Stewart segment on The Daily Show on Comedy Central, where Stewart refers to "The Bradley Effect" ( @ 4:44 )( count begins after the 15 - 30 second commercial - sorry ! ). When I watched this segment for the first time I noticed how I began to actually feel different about Obama as a person - in fact, so much so that I've taken the time to hear him speak every chance I get - why? Not because of my political views, but because what he says connects with, and relates to the things I care about. When we make these connections with others we have a beginning, and as a Personal Brand Builder to build on that beginning the thing to do is maintain consistency. Building a Personal Brand with consistency:First, take the time to actually think about what YOU care about - make a list. Next, take the time to design how you might talk about the things you care about. What are the key points? Is there proof for these points? Are the points mainstream, or contrarian - make a list. Then, be an interested listener and observer to the verbal / non-verbal reactions you get - make a list. Finally, continue to honestly refine the process until you're producing the results you want - check with others. Would you invest $0.04 ( 4 cents ) a day to build an Obama like Personal Brand ? Then you need our Personal Brand Strategy Tool to help you get started thinking about and designing your Personal Brand Building Strategy and Tactics today ! © Copyright 2009 - Effetti, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.
The article "How To Build A Personal Brand...", the subtitle "...Obama's "return to virtuous ethics" as a good example !..." and contents herein, unless otherwise specified in writing - by Effetti, Inc. are ALSO licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available by contacting the author through Effetti, Inc. http://www.effettigrowth.com/about-contact.php.The image was found on, and may be © Copyright to TrustWinsOut.org
... may be One More Reason to go Web 2.0 !...by David Bookout Social Networking and Social Media are hot topics, and sites like: MySpace, FaceBook, Twitter, DodgeBall, LinkedIn, Plaxo, Spoke, Zoom, Blogger, YouTube, Joost, Flicr, Picasa, SlideShare, and more are pretty familiar. But, knowing how to best leverage these technological tools within your brand development strategy, regardless of whether your focus is corporate, or individual is the question! The ManyOne Portal may be an interesting, and valuable new alternative ?!Personally, you might be thinking; Some of these applications don't seem serious enough for what I want, or I don't even know where to start, or I don't have time to keep up with all these discreet accounts. At the corporate level you might even be thinking, hey, this is someone else's job! But is it? At the core of all the applications mentioned is the function of establishing an " identity" amongst a specific desired audience set. The purpose of brand building is to expand the shear number of people that are; aware of, interested in, and ultimately accept the brand's value proposition in some sort of transaction. Historically, I think it has been difficult, particularly for the SMB market, to create appropriate content, including graphics, that do a good job of establishing a consistent, brand building look and feel. Website building has been difficult at best, and most of the applications mentioned have a primary ( yet, perhaps hidden? ) agenda of significantly building their own brands on the backs of their users. The ManyOne Portal seems different in that regard, as well as providing the opportunity to expand identity / brand building possibilites by giving companies, AND individuals the opportunity to manage multiple interests and passions, in one relatively simple, easy to use place.For example, I built this new Effetti Portal in less than an hour with ONLY my extensive cut and paste capability !! Honestly, while I've been building websites for ten years, I have just about enough HTML experience to bold some copy. Post Publishing Add - Additionally, the ManyOne Portal acts as a Wiki / Collaboration / Coordination tool with the ability to house 100's of documents for either public, or private view depending on how you set up each portal. Teams with designated members, that the portal owner controls, can view private portals, anyone can view public portals. My colleague and project management guru friend Kimberly Wiefling recently turned me on to these new collaboration tools, thanks Kimberly ! - Post Publishing Add EndSo, if you've been thinking about building a new website, or getting a bit more active in the Social Networking / Social Media space, I would give the ManyOne experience a try ??!!© Copyright 2009 - Effetti, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.
The article "Brand Building - Portal Strategies...", the subtitle "...may be One More Reason to go Web 2.0 !..." and contents herein, unless otherwise specified in writing - by Effetti, Inc. are ALSO licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available by contacting the author through Effetti, Inc. http://www.effettigrowth.com/about-contact.php.The image was found on, and may be © Copyright to ManyOne.net
...in most cases it's just a graphic image.by David BookoutIn this short post I want to offer an opening to what I hope is a more valuable, actionable perspective regarding logos and their place in brand strategy, and brand development. Brand, branded, and branding have recently become commonly used terms. But, to me, the way most people use these terms is a bit off relative to what is actually happening, or more to the point, not happening in regard to their own logo. Branding originally hurt, and still does in that context, then became an expensive process ONLY for big companies and now is even a topic for nascent entrepreneurs. Today almost everyone talks about their "brand". The real issue, particularly for small to medium business ( SMB ), is that they don't have a brand. Too many people think that because they've had a logo developed that they have a brand. Too many people think that if they put a logo on a piece of paper, or other medium, that they are branding. Too many people think that if they have a done a little positioning work, have come up with a tag line, which is usually a full on slogan, that they have effectively branded themselves. In reality these thoughts are absolutely, and completely false. In fact, this is where brand building actually begins. Where brands exist the logo itself has symbolism, the logo has distinct meaning for people, and those same people have a picture, actually more like a short movie, in their minds about how the company, the product, or the service connects to and with them in their life.In our next post in this series we'll have some FUN with our friend Dilbert and talk about effective, and ineffective logos.
From Brand to Growth" What is a Brand?" by Steven BrownIn conclusion, a brand is a message to send, targeted at the customer that you prefer to serve repeatedly and profitably. You want them to decide on their own they are exactly your best customer. That you provide value they need and want. And you know that your team is able to execute the business processes, including marketing and sales, that keep the profits growing. You want other curious customers to decide they aren’t best served by your service or product. So your team doesn’t get distracted. So you don’t have to spend your valuable time managing customer situations that are outside the profit zone. You can always expand your business to serve their needs. But you have to focus on the profit zone for now. Get your team to improve their efficiency serving those ideal customers. Economically generating leads that fit the profile more often. Efficiently marketing your value and products to those leads. Close the sales opportunity early and often. And fulfill the customer order to their satisfaction every time. That is the formula for growth. And that is how you build a Brand Sales Person that works for you.
From Customer to Brand" What is a Brand?" by Steven BrownYour brand then is every word and picture in every business card, sign, brochure, contract, voice mail greeting, and product look and feel. Every marketing and sales conversation. Every support response. And the relationships you form with customers. They all need to convey and reinforce who the right customer is. There are several aspects to a brand: brand equity, brand identity, brand positioning, the logo, and more. It can be overwhelming to a small business owner to try to address everything at once. The task can be simplified by looking at how your sales and operations send “we want you” messages to good current and prospective customers. An approach that is synergistic with executing your day to day business. From the BSP (Brand Sales Person) metaphore, here are some core next steps in building the right BSP: 1. Does your sales process target the right decision maker? 2. Does the value message match with that decision makers care abouts? 3. Does the product or service deliver on all the care abouts? 4. Does the support and customer relationship follow-up meet expectations? Next entry: From Brand to Growth
Start With The Customer" What is a Brand?" by Steven BrownA brand is formed by having a crystal clear idea of your customer, their needs, the benefits and value you provide, how your offering is unique versus their alternatives, and the capabilities or services that deliver those benefits and value. This seems so obvious, so why is it so hard? Because it requires you to slow down and think critically. But more so, it requires you to be disciplined to define customers that you won’t serve. This is very difficult, and probably the most challenging part of building a brand. Often times early customer and sales successes aren’t necessarily situations you can profitably serve repeatedly. You made money from hustle and value. Likely not by identifying the characteristics of customers you want to repeatedly serve, and those you need to avoid. Next entry: From Customer to Brand
Your Brand Sales Person" What is a Brand?", by Steven BrownAt its core a brand is like a sales person who constantly whispers in the ear of your customer and your entire company – the ideal sales person that says exactly the right thing at the right time. You want your Brand Sales Person (BSP) to tell the customer their needs will be met by the product or service. The BSP assures them they will receive fair value for what they pay. Whether they should expect a transactional sales experience or a long term customer relationship. And you want your entire team to act in concert with that BSP – to leverage the expectations set in the mind of the customer. Effort is required to train the BSP to say the right things to the customer at the right time. And your sales team needs to know what the brand is saying to the customer so they can close. How do you equip the BSP properly? How do you control them and stay connected to their customer interactions? How do you build your brand and work with the brand? Most importantly, how do you listen to your customer’s feedback about you and your brand when your BSP is doing all the talking? Next entry: Start With The Customer
... doesn't always mean that you should !...by David BookoutHumans seem to naturally want to put their "fingerprints" on things, personalize them, let others know that they have made a "difference". From a brand perspective, this is exactly what you DO NOT want to do. Brands are built on boring consistency, a promise fulfilled over, and over, and over again. From this perspective, desktop publishing and now the internet are providing an incredible opportunity for companies of all sizes to stand out amongst the crowd, effectively "branding" themselves with a; clear, concise, compelling and memorable identity, message and positioning.But are these incredible opportunities being taken advantage of?
No. In our assessment, not only is the advantage NOT being capitalized on, but companies are often doing damage to their “identity”, as well as considerably lengthening and even short circuiting their sales process.  We frequently see three big mistakes: First, is the use of a myriad of; font styles, colors and formatting options along with every conceivable feature / benefit jammed into a single message platform. People seem to do this because they can. The computer and internet tools, now available on a mass scale, have reduced one barrier while at the same time created a much bigger communication obstacle by adding a significant amount of "noise" and "clutter". Second, is the absence of "customer". People seem to design, both graphically and linguistically for themselves, which isn't a bad thing, but how many companies could survive by simply buying their own products and services in a net zero gain? Third, are critical assessments relative to creative design fulfillment that are often dis-connected, or mis-connected from the essential strategic narratives that a company needs to successfully “communicate” and “connect” with the desired audience. For example, is a beautiful image of desert pyramids consistent with eye care and eye comfort? To correct this, here are four essential guides:1) Design Matters - this has been proven for over 1,000,000 years. Humans are biologically "wired" to respond to beauty. We are also wired to repel from things that are not so beautiful. The busier we get, the faster we choose what we resonate with. 2) Customer Perception Matters - this seems simple. But, you would be surprised by how many client conversations miss this key point. If your not rigorously asking; "what" would the customer think "really", and "why" does this product / service offer matter "really", your not focused here. 3) Less Is More - again, this seems simple. But, again, you would be surprised. Effective narratives are NOT delivered via "shotgun". Instead, they are delivered via a sharpshooter's rifle, with the choice for each shot being specifically designed and implemented. 4) Strategy Matters - we all have assessments about things and our assessments are all valid. However, our assessments may, or may NOT be powerful relative to a specific "strategy", narrative, or sequence of events we might choose to have un-fold in the future. These guides, when used rigorously in the design and implementation of a company’s strategy. Particularly; Marketing, Brand and Communication strategies can go along way in helping a company instill it’s core promise in the heart(s) and mind(s) of customers.© Copyright 2008 - Effetti, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.
The article "Because you can !...", the subtitle "... doesn't always mean that you should !..." and contents herein, unless otherwise specified in writing - by Effetti, Inc. are ALSO licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available by contacting the author through Effetti, Inc. http://www.effettigrowth.com/about-contact.php.
Definition of a Brand" What is a Brand?", by Steven BrownNot everyone decides that a brand investment is the answer to their goals. But most entrepreneurs do know that they need to brand themselves to be successful. What most do not realize is the importance of reinforcing the brand in every contract, with every customer, every fulfilled order, and every customer-facing situation. Their success to date has included a certain brilliance in seeing business opportunity and marketing themselves, but their very adaptability often times undermines their efforts to build a brand through consistency. To scale their business beyond the limits of their own time and energy they need to build a brand and an operation that delivers to that brand consistently. But how do they do this? And what is a brand anyways? A brand is an assumption, an impression, a reputation, a clarity of the ideal customer and their needs, and the product or service provided to that customer. The goal of a brand is to help the ideal customer come very close to making the sale on their own. To precondition them to the criteria that describes their needs and is uniquely served by your product or service. It helps a potential as well as repeat customers anticipate the kind of pre and post sales service they should expect. Next Entry: Your Brand Sales Person
What is a Brand?by Steven BrownYou’ve caught the fever, the brand fever. You’re printing business cards, networking for business, or working with customers. You need to get more leads for your sales team. Your revenue or profits aren’t growing as you need. You just completed a business seminar and you are filled with new ideas for your business. What you want is more excitement about your product or service, a more enthusiastic response from your sales team when you demand growth, and definitely more customers. But what do you do? What leadership do you exhibit to your team? What kind of marketing campaign do you design? What is the message you want to convey to your customer about why they should buy from you? Should you use the internet or print? Will you design it yourself, or hire a marketing firm to analyze your business and come up with a new brand, maybe something you believe you could have done yourself? Should you rebuild your sales process or incentives? Yikes – these options all seem quite risky or expensive! Next entry: Definition of a Brand
by David BookoutWord combinations reduced to letter sets. They're everywhere. There is even an AcronymGuide.com website that is dedicated to the definition of acronyms. Here in Silicon Valley things like "Chemical Vapor Deposition" have become better known as "CVD", and on the internet we've turned "Internet Service Provider" into "ISP". Simple. But, are acronyms really good strategies for brand building? Like most things, it depends. For companies like Kentucky Fried Chicken it has taken a lot of time and money to be able to use "KFC". In fact, over the years, international growth and the exclusive use of KFC had completely removed the iconic Colonel image from the companies packaging, and subsequently from the minds of consumers. A literal name, like Kentucky Fried Chicken produces some real clarity relative to the offer the company is making. Conversely, an "empty vessel" like KFC needs to be filled with narratives and imagery that connects the desired audience to the offer quickly, clearly and connects with some fundamental concern. For small to medium enterprise ( SME ) companies who can't spend the time and money required to move an "empty vessel" through the awareness, interest, trial sale, repeat sale continuum the use of acronyms is a waste. In addition these strategies run the risk of confusing their desired audience more than creating a clear, compelling image the audience can remember. This scenario "What was the name of that company honey? No, not the pool maintenance company, the one that did general contracting. Hmm, oh well, let's see what comes up on Google" is perhaps quite common. Opportunity lost! Here are three simple keys for SME's to implement into effective brand building strategies: First, stay away from acronyms. Instead, choose literal; company, product and service offer names where you can, while remembering that these will be the least expensive from a marketing budget perspective. Second, if you must go the empty vessel route, consider developing positioning statements and taglines that could perhaps be more literal in the conveyance of the essence of the offer, and ride along with the name. Third, in either event, stay connected to the emotional benefits that you think the desired audience will connect with easily, and utilize clear, concise, compelling imagery that supports the offer in the minds of the desired audience. For example, no matter how beautiful a desert image is, it should NOT be used in marketing imagery for contact lenses.
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As Micro Lending becomes a more popular alternative to entrepreneurial funding, a concept, and a term that I'm calling "Micro Branding", is just getting started within the Social Media Management Systems ( SMMS ) sector.
David
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