Month: March 2011

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Create a Brand Advocacy Program

Brand on a laptop screen on a desk

Thousands of Fans Can Broadcast Your Marketing Message

“Brand Advocacy” refers to the army of UNPAID people who believe in your offerings and eagerly broadcast your marketing message to their network, both online and offline. Usually, their network is interested in the same things, so your Brand Advocates reach your specific target audience. This powerful word-of-mouth marketing is one of the best ways to build credibility and referred trust, resulting in increased sales.

How does this happen? You can build your army of Brand Advocates in one of three main ways:

1. Organic – natural customer satisfaction and word-of-mouth (slow)

2. Sharing – social media content spread by your network (faster)

3. Seeding – send content, freebies and samples to influential bloggers and Twitter Users (fastest)

Brand Advocates are considered more authentic, carry more ‘marketing message’ weight, and cost less than traditional advertising, such as radio, print, and television. People take their trusted friends’ recommendations quite seriously, so please don’t overlook this important strategy in your marketing plan. Word-of-mouth marketing has never been so viral.

Jeremiah Owyang, a nationally renown digital strategy expert and consultant to Fortune 100 companies, suggests that organizations today must develop advocacy programs in order to scale, increase credibility and demonstrate commitment. In doing so, marketers will develop a low-cost trusted unpaid army of Brand Advocates.

Owyang’s Five Phases of Mature Brand Advocacy Programs (summarized):

1.) First, get ready internally. Dedicate an internal staff member on a part-time basis to manage this program. Look for folks who have a background in influencer relationships and are savvy about social media. Develop a plan and educate internal stakeholders.

2.) Find the right advocates that will represent your brand. Look at top bloggers, the most helpful and knowledgeable community members in forums, and those that have dedicated their time to managing Facebook pages, online forums or are active in the ecosystems.

3.) Build a relationship for the long term. Invite your select group of advocates to your headquarters to meet with key executives. Be prepared to listen, and be attentive to their requests. Intel invites its ‘Insiders’ to key events like Intel Developer Forum.

4.) Give them a platform–but do not pay them. The crux of an advocacy program is giving fans a platform for communicating. You’ll want to support their efforts by giving them a publication platform such as a group blog or community, so they can tell their story. Enable them with graphical “badges” they can put on their blogs, email signatures, T-shirts, and business cards as they become extended ambassadors to your brand. Microsoft MVP program showcases their advocates, and provides them with a variety of resources to evangelize.

5.) Integrate them into your business and recognize them. Next, continue to integrate them into your existing events, launches and even planning meetings. Microsoft has “conference” funds for MVPs who are encouraged to speak at industry related conferences about their passions – further spreading the brand.

While it’s not important to do everything all at once, it IS important to embrace this marketing strategy and make initial steps to build your Brand Advocacy program. Let ‘Progress – Not Perfection’ be your guiding principle.

Do you have a Brand Advocacy Program? What learnings can you share that will help others start and manage one?

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For more resources, see our Library topics Marketing and Social Networking.

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ABOUT Lisa M. Chapman:

Ms. Chapman’s new book has a name change! The Net-Powered Entrepreneur – A Step-by-Step Guide will be available very soon. With offices in Nashville Tennessee, but working virtually with international clients, Lisa M. Chapman serves her clients as a business and marketing coach, business planning consultant and social media consultant. As a Founder of iBrand Masters, a social media consulting firm, Lisa Chapman helps clients to establish and enhance their online brand, attract their target market, engage them in meaningful social media conversations, and convert online traffic into revenues. Email: Lisa @ LisaChapman.com

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Spiritual Beings at Work

A-spiritual-teacher-meditating-outside.

This passage is taken from my forthcoming book – Staying Grounded in Shifting Sand. My book is based on the premise that we are spiritual beings who navigate through our daily earthly experiences to discover or create wholeness, transformation, and joy. A key ingredient to staying grounded in shifting sand is to remember Who You Are as a soul being and to remain connected to your Source of wisdom, compassion, forgiveness, joy and love.

“I’d like to explore how to work spiritually when you know you are a spiritual being on a spiritual journey. From this vantage point you can reframe how you work and why you are here. Those of you who have awakened to your soul journey, you already have made a commitment to use your work life for your important personal transformations and help others in their process as well.

It is hard for some people to fathom working spiritually when you are in the middle of conflicts, power trips, or personal agendas at work. Working spiritually doesn’t mean that you walk around in a blissful state all the time. Sometimes you may feel that the most spiritual you can be is to keep praying for strength to endure until you can see your way out of a situation. Spirituality at work involves diligence, patience, and clarity as much as compassion, authenticity, and forgiveness.

Conscious Evolution

You consciously evolve when you are aware of opportunities to change old patterns that no longer work or expand your growing edge. Conscious evolution takes place at work as much as in any other domain of life, particularly because we spend most of our waking hours at work. You often don’t choose those with whom you work. Too many people find themselves working in toxic work environments or unhealthy organizations. You are put into situations of swirling energy that need to be carefully tended. Learning how to navigate through such conditions and/or knowing when to leave requires careful spiritual discernment. Your work life offers you tremendous opportunity to practice your spiritual truths.

If you are bothered by someone or in the middle of a conflict you need to consider what hot button is getting triggered for you. That is where important spiritual work is for you at present. At a minimum you can learn to be honest with your feelings and speak your truth with compassion and wisdom. The bottom line (figuratively and literally) is to awaken and remain open to your spiritual unfolding. Be intentional about your own growing edge in the midst of chaos and conflict. That’s your spiritual work that needs to be done in addition to any projects or job assignments you’re given.

Seeing Co-Workers as Spiritual Beings

When we remember our work life is integral to our spiritual journey, we see ourselves and others as soul beings and know we are all here to learn lessons for our conscious evolution and spiritual growth. Here’s a visualization you can use to reframe how you see your co-workers.

Imagine your work colleagues as soul beings. Greet them by name and thank them for being part of your work. Affirm that you are each there for a purpose to help one another in your spiritual journey… Surround them each in a gold or bright colored light. Send them energy and thoughts of joy, care, compassion. Send them on their way with the thought that they are a perfect expression of who they came here to be. Thank them for being teachers, guides and supports for your spiritual journey to practice compassion, offer peace, and share joy.

Remember that you are exactly where you need to be to live out the spiritual journey you came to experience for your conscious evolution. Step in to it, celebrate it. Rejoice in being the bright beautiful being that you are. We work as spiritual beings through our heart, mind, and hands. Or as Kahlil Gibran more eloquently wrote, “When you work, you are a flute, through whose heart the whispering of the hours turns to music.”

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Linda is an author, speaker, coach, and consultant. Go to her website www.lindajferguson.com to read more about her work, view video clips of her talks, and find out more about her book “Path for Greatness: Spirituality at Work” The paperback version available on Amazon. NOW NEW!!! the pdf version of Path for Greatness is available for download from her website. Chapters 1-5 of “Staying Grounded in Shifting Sand” are now available on her website as well.

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How Good Email Helps Direct Mail Results

woman-writing-an-email.

It wasn’t that long ago that crusty-old-direct-mail-consultants were worried that email would cut into direct mail revenue. Consistent testing and a steady stream of anecdotes indicate that’s just not true.

For the last ten years, I’ve been testing direct mail results and the impact of email messages. In one of the simplest and longest-running tests, I tested three segments of names against each other, all from the same pool of recent donors who were scheduled to receive a direct mail “house” appeal:

Group A was comprised of recent donors with email addresses who were sent an email message just before they should have received a direct mail appeal.

Group B was comprised of recent donors with email addresses, to whom we did not send the email message.

Group C was the rest of the list – recent donors for whom we had no email address on file.

The email message that was sent to the people in Group A was only a brief note saying “I have just mailed you a very important letter. It’s in a white business envelope with the words “[Insert envelope teaser copy here]” across the top. Please look for it.”

That’s it. No link to give, nothing else. (I plan to test an upgraded pre-email message with an actual photo of the outer envelope).

Group A had a direct mail response rate that was about 10% higher than Group B. No surprise. The pre-email probably resulted in more recipients somehow sorting that appeal envelope into the “open” pile rather than the “recycle” pile.

But Group B, however, had a response rate that was in turn about 10% higher than that of Group C. Why? They received the same package at the same time, and neither had the advantage of the email message. They were from the same list of recent donors. Our theory? They had been well cultivated with email newsletters for the past several months, and that increased their response to this appeal.

At a recent nonprofit conference, a major nonprofit announced similar findings: when they added email messaging to support direct mail, they got 5.7% response and a $29.25 average gift in the mail, v 3.65% and $21.12 from those who didn’t get the email — plus they got $4000 in online gifts!

Would a post-email message improve direct mail results as much, or more, than a pre-email? Would both do even better? Ah, now you’re thinking.

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Rick Christ has been helping nonprofit organizations use the internet for fundraising, communications and advocacy since 2009, and has been a frequent writer on the subject. He delights in your questions and arguments. Please contact him at: RChrist@Amergent.com or at his LinkedIn Page

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Best Practices: Your Approach to Great Communication

Young lady talking to her colleagues in a meeting

A recent workshop discussion led to this question: what kind of communicator are you, really? What are the best practices to adopt in order to be a great communicator? The class participants thought about what kind of attitudes we sometimes bring to communication, and came up with this list of best practices.

As you read the list below, be aware that we tend to judge ourselves not by our actual behavior but by our intentions: “I meant to listen; it’s just that I was so busy when you called…” While it is true that your heart is probably in the right place, the pressures of time, stress and multi-tasking can undermine those best intentions and leave you with less-than-desirable behavior.

Starting today, take a look at what you actually do, since this is what the people around you actually experience. Or, if you are feeling especially brave, ask someone you know and trust to give you some feedback on how well you approach communication. Specifically, how are you doing in your communication approach?

  • Be polite, respectful in communication. Do you say “please” and “thank you?” Do you check with the person to see if this is a good time for them? Or do you bark out orders on your way past them?
  • Be sincere. Do you really notice the others around you? Do you see them as whole people with lives and feelings? Or just as someone who can do something for you–or get in your way? When you travel, do you take time to notice all the people who serve you, from the taxi driver to the flight attendant? Do you take a moment to reaffirm the people around you, and to show them sincere appreciation?
  • Be professional. Do you watch your language or let it fly? Do you have good grammar? Do you speak clearly? Do you have an obnoxious laugh? Do you tell dirty jokes? Do you gossip? Or do you try to speak professionally everywhere you go, knowing that “you never know” who might be listening.
  • Be patient. Yes, you are under stress. Probably so are those around you. When you travel, do you shout at drivers ahead of you? Or are you like the passive-aggressive traveler behind me in the “professional traveler” security line who kept grumbling criticism of those ahead of him? Those stressful times are exactly when you should remind yourself to breathe.
  • Be empathetic. Sometimes it feels good to vent, but not so good for the person on the receiving side. Take time to ask yourself how that person facing you feels. A smile and thank you could really help someone, and cost you very little. A brief apology if you have been unkind may make both sides feel better.
  • Think, plan and prepare before talking, typing or sending. Of course you are in a hurry. Of course you are thinking of three (or ten!) things at once. But before you shoot off that hurried e-mail, think it though. Before you call someone onto the carpet, be sure you are speaking with the right person, at the right time. Before you send that newsletter, e-mail, invitation, or any other document, clear your mind and re-read it. Watch out for incomplete sentences, typos, and fuzzy thinking.

Communication is a complex, important human skill that requires your full attention. Be a great communicator. Check your communication approach.

What do you do to make sure your communication approach leads to effective communication?

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Transparency is a key to performance

Open framed glass windows

It’s ironic that a word like “transparency” can have several confusing meanings, even in a business context. While transparency as a concept is often most visible in the realm of social responsibility and compliance, its real benefit is when it’s seen as a business priority.

Transparency is about information. It is about the ability of the receiver to have full access to the information he wants, not just the information the sender is willing to provide. Transparency embodies honesty and open communication because to be transparent someone must be willing to share information when it is uncomfortable to do so. Transparency is an individual being honest with himself about the actions he is taking. Transparency is also the organization being upfront and visible about the actions it takes, and whether those actions are consistent with its values. What would cause someone act contrary to his or her values? What are the influences and factors inside an organization that cause individuals to veer from actions or decisions that they do not believe are right?

In an organization where there is alignment between their Standards and their Values, there is no fear in raising or disclosing difficult issues. A value of honesty is consistent with the ability to act on one’s concerns, or ask questions. Employees and managers can safely admit mistakes and can openly deal with problems and challenges. There is true open communication. If an engineer raises a concern about product quality, for example, that person is given a chance to be heard and have the issue either resolved. The engineer may not be correct, but there is enough respect that if he or she is wrong, they are given an opportunity to learn why, and the encounter has a positive outcome.

For employees to trust in transparency, they must first feel safe: physically, financially, and emotionally. Undue pressure and fear of losing one’s job make it difficult to take the risk of admitting mistakes or weakness. Employees must feel they have a personal relationship with their leaders to the point where they would feel comfortable having a conversation that involves some risk.

As an example of the strategic importance of transparency, look at the challenges that have plagued Johnson & Johnson in recent years. The manner in which J&J handled the 1982 Tylenol crisis has always been the model of transparency; an organization acting in a manner consistent with its values. J&J immediately pulled the product from the shelves without regard to the cost or public embarrassment, and certainly with no regrets over lost profits. In repeated interviews Jim Burke said that J&J’s Credo made it easy for him and his team to know exactly what to do: J&J’s “first responsibility is to the doctors, nurses, and patients, to the mothers and all the others who use our products and services.”

In stark contrast to how Jim Burke handled the 1982 crisis, McNeil leadership under Colleen Goggins has been described as evasive and not forthcoming. Consultant to over-the-counter drug companies, Donald Riker, was quoted as saying, “At every step in this process J&J has not been transparent. Every bit of information is cagey, secretive, and micromanaged.”

Companies with cultures that are working for them and not against them are ones where transparency is seen as an internal imperative, and not a external disclosure requirement.
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David Gebler is the President of Skout Group, an advisory firm helping global companies use their values to clear the roadblocks to performance. Send your thoughts and feedback to dgebler@skoutgroup.com.

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Use social media to increase sales

A person holding a gadget with social media on it

Social media is not novel any more. Facebook and Twitter are now household names, worldwide. They connect people and causes, they build online communities, sure. But they also sell products, big time.

The corporate sector has discovered this power, and recently many nonprofits are finding these online, interactive communities to be powerful places to build awareness, engagement, and ultimately contributions.

Social enterprises can benefit from skillful use of these tools as well.

Continue reading “Use social media to increase sales”

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Power of Gazing in Training, Love and Other Matters

Diverse-women-gazing-at-the-camera.

I am well advised of the power of gazing in everyday matters.

This kitten gazes intently, staring and then blinks a few times... It means she loves you.

One of my cats uses gazing to communicate its undying love for me. Seriously. She gazes intently, staring and then blinks a few times; if you’ve studied animal behavior, you know it means she loves me–with the glint in her misty blue eyes. Not unlike the girl in the first Indiana Jones’ movie who gazes longingly into Professor Indiana’s eyes and drops her eyelids, which say, “Love Me,” written there obviously with what I hope is erasable ink.

There is even a dating site that uses party gazing as one of the activities to set up dates. There’s actually a time limit before you get yourself in trouble. I know that the length of a human gaze indicates potential intimacy, or, in less romantic practical terms, if someone is receptive to our presence. (Psychology 101) Good communicators, especially trainers, or those who don’t want to commit, should know just when to quit.

Let’s face it: in training, it’s probably not a good idea for your participants to gaze longingly in your eyes as you present, nor the opposite. Despite the fact it is distracting for you as a speaker or trainer, it could be disastrous for your presentation. Gazing in public speaking or in training has the ability to enhance or detract from your presentation and the intended communication. As for the audience gazing at us, that’s exactly what we want; but we want to control the communication, keep the gaze receptive and direct their attention to what we want them to see. The rule of thumb: gaze only long enough to be received, give them your special glint, and move on.

For those of you who don’t get me yet. The glint I’m referring to is similar to a smile and a wink. We all do it to make that special connection with each member of our audience if we can. It says, “I’m talking to you.”

And, you can believe corporate training firms include it as essential in any how-to or train-the-trainer guide. Without good eye contact or gazing, you lose your audiences–a point trainers can’t afford to miss, according to Lisa Braithwaite, a colleague of mine with a similar background. Eye contact is so important to what we do. It means control or the environment; therefore, control of the communication–and the all-important message.

It's not a good idea for your participants to gaze longingly in your eyes as you present, nor the opposite.

To illustrate how this can happen even in a simple setting: when sitting in a meeting, and you notice the speaker’s eyes never meet yours. If you look at that person and speak, you have immediate control of the conversation and the communication. The speaker before you never never had it–even though words may have been spewing forth.

Even if the speaker were attractive beyond compare and if you had been too distracted by physical beauty to listen, the result would have been the same. No communication coming from his or her lips met your ears with any impact. Think about the first time you met the “love of your life” and were speechless. Looking at someone intently affects them emotionally, hopefully in a good way. Perhaps “love at first sight” is mixed with pheromones, I don’t know; but, in any case, the receiver has to respond emotionally. In our case, the training environment, we prefer just complete attention.

As important as eye contact is, it has to be in the right amounts and in all the right places.

It is the same with any audience. If you can’t look them in the eye–and you know what that means with larger audiences, make them think you are, or you will not be able to control or manage the message you are trying to convey.

Don’t believe me? Try it for fun. This works best if you are doing a session on communication. Continue looking at an audience member and don’t let up until you get a reaction from him or her. Interestingly enough, you will probably get a reaction from the audience beforehand. Audience members want your attention. This only proves the right amount of gazing is good, but too little or too much is bad. Good speakers control eye contact extremely well. Besides timing their gazing, they use eye contact to make others follow where their eyes go to emphasize a message. Eye contact can signal the audience when you plan to make a shift–kind of a head nod that says, “this way.”

It is because you aren’t receiving a “proper” gaze, that you have to concentrate when listening closely to someone who has strabismus or “crooked eyes,” or amblyopia or “lazy eye.” On the other hand, what if you the speaker or the trainer is the one afflicted with this malady? Although in some cases either form of misdirected eyes can be corrected, but mostly at a young age when it is most likely to affect vision.

...and having a droopy eyelid hasn't hurt has Academy Award Winner, Forest Whitaker either.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t speak or train. Academy Award-Winner Forest Whitaker’s left eye ptosis, which is the drooping eyelid, has been “called intriguing” by critics; and Joe Mantegna, who has Bell’s palsy, which causes one side of the face to droop and can result in one eye not closing, has not suffered a lack of acting jobs because of his unusual look either.

Joe Mantegna hasn't suffered a lack of acting jobs because he has Bell's palsy...

I do advise letting your audience know in a humorous way you may not seem at times as if you are looking at them but assure them you have “special powers” and can see all. Of course, you know I’m kidding. Use your own way to let them know you are aware they may be affected by this and it will actually make them pay closer attention (again, Psychology 101).

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For more resources about training, see the Training library.

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Is that illegal?

A-woman-sexually-harassed

In a previous post, I discussed some common misconceptions with illegal workplace behavior. With all the misconceptions that some behavior is illegal and with all the sexual harassment training that is provided, it should be easy to figure out that the following behavior is illegal:

  • Exposing your genitals to female employees and forcing one to touch your private parts.
  • Requiring women to participate in a “kissing” or “smooching” club to receive the sales leads and accounts necessary to earn commissions
  • Firing women who reject managers’ sexual advances and complain about them

In a recent EEOC case against a Memphis company with a verdict of $1.5 million, a jury found that two male managers had subjected female employees to severe sexual harassment. Two of the three women involved in the case where then fired after making complaints.

Where was HR in this case? Or more importantly, if this was going on in your organization would you know? What would you do?

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For more resources, See the Human Resources library.

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Sheri Mazurek is a training and human resource professional with over 16 years of management experience, and is skilled in all areas of employee management and human resource functions, with a specialty in learning and development. She is available to help you with your Human Resources and Training needs on a contract basis. For more information send an email to smazurek0615@gmail.com or visit www.sherimazurek.com. Follow me on twitter @Sherimaz.

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Watch Out For These Seven Career Mistakes

A-focused-career-woman-working-on-her-laptop

career mistakesMany ambitious professionals are so involved in projects and fire fighting that they forget about managing their careers.

Don’t let these seven career mistakes derail your career.

1. Burning bridges along the way.
Each profession may seem big – but, as you move up in your career, you come to realize how ‘small’ each really is. Something you said or done may comes back to haunt you.

2. Not having big enough goals.
A key career stopper is setting your goals too low or not being willing to put in the time it takes to reach goals. Believing “I could never do that” or, “They’ll never give me the go ahead” means it probably won’t happen. Take risks, try new things, initiate and learn and grow.

3. Playing office politics.
Some people pick the wrong battles to fight. When you get enmeshed in gossiping or office politics, you forget about the goals, mission and getting the job done. It’ll lead to a lack of outcomes – a career killer every time.

4. Having a bad attitude.
“It kills even the most talented,” said one top executive, who has observed many talented people rise and fall. Negative attitudes slow you down, but good ones are jet fuel, enhancing all you do. Attitudes, like skills, are learned and therefore can be changed, improved or updated.

5. Thinking that money is everything.
A great salary doesn’t equate to happiness. For most people – executive or staff – money means very little if you are truly unhappy. Job satisfaction is the number one reason people elect to find a new job. What gets you up each day excited about going to work? Take control of your career! If you don’t, who else will?

6. Not asking for feedback.
Quiz your boss regularly about your performance. Don’t wait for your annual review. Nip any problems in the bud. for example, at the end of a project, “What could I have done differently? What skills do I need to work on so I can handle more responsibility down the line? What’s the best approach for getting those skills?”

7. Not working at a job you’re passionate about.
“People float through life as if it were boring, drudgery or a nuisance – often complaining, yet never determining what would fulfill them,” noted a nonprofit director. The true key to success is discovering your inner passion and then finding a way to work in that arena

Career Success Tip

The greatest career mistake bright, ambitious professioals make is not learning from the mistakes of others. Don’t let these seven mistakes sabotage derail your career.

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?