WHY ARE ANALYTICS CRITICAL TO CREATING AND BUILDING A BRAND

WHY ARE ANALYTICS CRITICAL TO CREATING AND BUILDING A BRAND?

            Analytics provide a road map to marketer as they create and build strong brand.  Analytics tell a marketer what is happening, what is not happening, and why. Best of all, analytics do these things in real time, as you are engaging. A marketer now has a means to know when to pull the plug when money is not being used wisely. Boards are becoming stricter. The people who run the organizations that we work for want to know where the money is going, and how effective it was.

            Marketers have traditionally been ambivalent about numbers.  Marketers are by nature activist people. They like to do things. In times past they had no idea if something was working. In the social media era, marketers have the cold facts that tell them if something is working and, more importantly why something is working.

            Social media is about creating friendships. Friends make promises to one another.  The keeping of promises is the means by which strong relationships are created. What is true in our personal lives is also true in our business lives, especially in the marketing area. Marketing revolves around making promises. Strong customer service revolves around making sure the promises are kept. Social media manages conversation in contrast to old media in which conversations were controlled.

            In social media, we can observe what people are doing, what they are really doing.  A picture is worth a thousand words and by monitoring closely our social media sights, people can readily observe what people “like” and what they don’t like.

            In social media we converse with our customers. Analytics tells us what that conversation brought out. The conversations lead to prioritized insights. Through analytics, we know the best times to reach our most valued customers. We know what these customers value the most. We know what the best times to have the most staff are.  Labor is the most expensive cost that an organization has. Through social media platforms, we know when the high volume times are and when the volumes are less.

            Analytics directs the conversation. The conversations that we now have on social media platforms connect all our conversations together.  They organize the conversations. Analytics give a marketer a road map in identifying adverse conversations and beneficial ones. Analytics allow us to move away from what we think, to objective data that allows us to identify the weak areas of our brand and make these weaknesses strength.  Through analytics, we are able to create a well-positioned, differentiated brand that is set apart from all the other products in our market space.

Dean Hambleton

dnhambleton@gmail.com

A FEW GOOD MEN: WHY KEVIN BACON'S PRESENTATION IS A BENCHMARK FOR A SALESPERSON?

            Kevin Bacon’s character, Jack Ross, is a benchmark for sales people to follow in selling effectively. The key to great and effective selling is the presentation. The presentation should explain the product in easy to follow language. It should answer all the customer’s questions, and it should freely flow to the close.

            Closing a sale is the reason why you are talking to that client. To close you must connect and be comfortable with your client and them with you. This connection and comfort level is created in the presentation.  If there is a comfort level, the close should be natural flow from the presentation.

            The best presentation that I have ever seen is Kevin Bacon’s opening statement to the jury in the movie, in the character of Jack Ross “A Few Good Men”.  In his presentation, Jack explains his position (his product). He explains his product to his customers ( the jury) .  He explains why his product is the only alternative to solving their problem (reaching a verdict). He anticipates objections. In his presentation he explains that only he has the evidence that would explain the crime that was committed. Jack does such a masterful job that Tommy Cruise’ character, Danny Caffee, readily admits that he has no real case.

            Let me briefly explain the plot of the movie. The movie takes place in a military setting. A marine is not performing to standard. His commanding officer (Jack Nicholson) decides to “motivate” him with two other Marines. This action is called a code red and it is unauthorized. A rag is stuck in the Marine’s mouth and he dies, with the two Maries charged.

            Let’s observe Jack’s masterful presentation to the jury.  “The facts in this case are simple. Two Marines killed a third marine. This case is just that simple. Now the defense is going to put on a show for you…and mind you it will be quite a show. It will be entertaining, you will enjoy it. They (Tom Cruise) will entertain you with words like “code red” (A code red officially doesn’t exist in the Marine Corps.) Now mind you, all they can do is entertain you, because they have no evidence to support their claim. So beware. Once you get past the entertainment and focus on the evidence presented you will only conclude that the defendants did kill this Marine and your only verdict will be guilty”.

            What is happening here? Jack has many “customers” that he is trying to sell. The Marines are on trial will be executed if found guilty. Jack is trying to convince them to accept a plea. They don’t want that because they feel that they following orders.

            Jack is trying to sell the parents of these Marines to accept the plea. In the movie, Jack’s best friend, Danny Kaffee (Tom Cruise) is being pushed by Demi Moore’s character (Lt. cdr. Jo Ann Galloway), to pursue a code Red issue. This is critical because if you charge an officer with this offense, a Marine lawyer must have conclusive proof that this actually happened. If this evidence can’t be presented, then the attorney (in this case,  Danny  Kaffee) can be charged and court martialed. He is also trying to convince the jury that a murder has been committed.

            Jack masterfully tries to sell all of his clients. The presentation is meant to convince all listeners that only the evidence counts. The defendants have no real evidence. Only a confession by Jack Nicholson will exonerate the defendants. A code Red can only be proven if the Col. Jessup (Jack Nicholson) will confess. There is not chance for this happening.

            He wants the jury prepared. He knows his good friend Danny may smoke screen them with secondary issues. He prepares them masterfully for this in such a way that anything Danny does will not move the jury. In the presentation, a close is arrived at through smooth transition.

            “A Few Good Men” is a true movie classic. I think the presentation is the central point in the plot of the whole movie. After the presentation, Danny and his team understand that a confession is the only means by which an innocent verdict can be attained.

            How this confession is gotten by Danny makes for one of the most riveting scenes I have seen in a movie. The court room questioning of Jack Nicholson by Tommy Cruise is spell binding and something you must see if you haven’t already seen the movie.

Dean Hambleton

dnhambleton@gmail.com

           

SALES STRATEGY: HOW DID BILL CLINTON CONNECT TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE IN 1992

             The two words, “connect” and “comfort”, are the secret to selling a product.  To sell a product, you must “connect” with your customer.   This connection must lead to a comfort zone with your customer. If you do not connect and establish comfort, you will not sell effectively. If you do, you will be successful in your sales efforts.  How is this done? Bill Clinton’s Presidential campaign of 1992 is a benchmark that modern salesmen should follow.

            Victors write the history. To most people, it is thought that Bill Clinton’s robust personality won him the Presidency. It did not. The truth of the matter is that Bill Clinton had a difficult campaign to the White House. Mr. Clinton had to “sell” his Presidency to the American people (understand this analogy in the most positive light). His campaign is a bench mark for modern sales people to study. Bill Clinton won the Presidency because he was able to connect to the American public. This connection created a comfort level that allowed him to communicate to the American people and explain what he wanted to do. To do this he had to make himself vulnerable.  To sell effectively, to connect with your customers, you have to make yourself vulnerable to your customers. This is a process and this process must be done correctly. If it is done correctly, this vulnerability creates a connection between sales person and client. A strong comfort level is created through the proper use of vulnerability.

            As June of 1992 began, Bill Clinton polled behind both President Bush and Ross Perot.  At this point in the campaign, it appeared that Mr. Clinton’s prospects of winning the Presidency in 1992 had two chances.  His two chances were slim and none and none had just left town on June 3, 1992. On that date Tim Russet, the respected NBC commentator made this statement, “Clinton has fundamental problems. The American people have made up their minds about him. He is irrelevant”.

            Clearly, Mr. Clinton was not connecting with his customers. They weren’t comfortable with him. Mr. Clinton’s political instincts took over.   His instincts told him what psychologists have discovered that a person must do when they want to connect to other people, when they want to “click”.  In the book, “Click”, authors Ori and Rom Brafman tell us that 5 things create connectivity between two people. They are vulnerability, proximity, resonance (this is speaking in language they can understand), similarity, and being together in a safe place.  The most important is vulnerability.

            Mr. Clinton decided he had to make himself vulnerable to the American people. He understood that the election would not hinge on his policies in relation to President Bush. He understood that Americans had to “buy” him. He was a young man from a small Southern state with a history of racial turmoil. To win the Presidency, he had to prove, to sell, the American people that he was the right man to lead them. How could he do this?

            To connect with the American electorate and to create the comfort level that was needed, he embarked on the talk show circuit. He made himself vulnerable. These shows had no script; the commentators could ask anything they wanted. He had no control over the flow of the shows.

            He went on Larry King, on “Today”, on the late night comedy shows. This was a real risk. By this time, Mr. Clinton’s personal life was well known. By going on the comedy shows, he ran a real risk of looking like a clown and not a serious candidate for the Presidency.

            Instead, the opposite happened. Mr. Clinton talked about what it was like to lose a father before he was born, to be raised by a single parent in a small Southern town called Hope. He talked about his alcoholic father, and his physical confrontations with him in growing up. He talked about what was like to have a younger brother who was addicted to alcohol and drugs. He talked about his role in rehabilitating him.

            One of his best shows was when he went on MTV’s “Rock the Vote”. This show was geared toward young people, but this show was watched by many older voters. They wanted to see the real Bill Clinton, unscripted. He did an impressive job in a format that was freewheeling. This is a format in which anything could have happened. He also went on Aresenio Hall’s show, which in 1992, was the highest rated “late night” show. He put on sun glasses and played the Saxophone. He came across as a “regular” guy. Here was a man that you could “trust”.  This is a man who has the same problems that I have. Here is a man who has values like mine. Here is a man who had an upbringing very much like mine.

 Using vulnerability, Bill Clinton connected with the American public. At the beginning of June, 1992, his favorable rating was 33%.  After his connection campaign, at the end of June of 1992, his approval rating had soared to 77% and Mr. Clinton went on to win the Presidency.

How does a salesperson make themselves vulnerable? They can use self-depreciating humor.  The presentation, in the sales process, is key. In the presentation a salesman can explain how they use their own product in their own daily life. If this can be done, this has a real connecting experience with a customer.

Dean Hambleton

dnhambleton@gmail.com

HOW DO USE THE DIFFERENT SOCIAL MEDIA SIGHTS?

            Each social media platform has a target audience. You must know what this target audience is if you are to get the most out of these sights.  For people who are new to social media, the misuse of the different sights can cause unintended problems. I hope in this article to explain, briefly, just how to use each sight.

  There is etiquette to be followed if you are go have an effective social media strategy. Social media is a privilege that people grant you. This is what social media is. It is a two-way conversation among two people. This privilege is equivalent to the privilege that is extended in personal conversations. If we talk over people, they will ignore us. If we talk out of turn, they will ignore us. If we don’t have anything to say, if we don’t have content that adds to people’s lives, they will ignore us. Each social media platform has a specific purpose.

      Facebook is a social sight. Great brands are created on Facebook, but they are created discretely. Facebook is a place where people meet, make friends, and get comfortable with one another. Facebook is a great place to create relationships. Linkedin is a business sight. This is where go to create a business or professional network. It is a place to ask questions about your profession, to meet people from all over the world, to learn new stuff about your professional area. Linkedin is a training sight.

            Twitter is a place where you go to have constant communication.  On Facebook and Linkedin, people want relationships and they want to integrate with you, but there is a break off point. Especially on Facebook people do not want you on their newsfeed constantly. The newsfeed is your personal homepage. It is the first thing someone will see when Facebook is accessed.

            People only want to see a few entries from you; otherwise they will become overwhelmed. If this happens they will ignore you.    This is an important fact, especially to people who are new to social media. If you are ignored, you defeat your purpose in having a social media sight.

 There are several sights that integrate with all your platforms. One post will appear on all your sights. This is a great service because it saves you time, but you have to be smart when you use it. If you post over 50 times a day, this will overwhelm a Facebook feed. Just as in a personal conversation, if you talk constantly, people will ignore you. In my own situation, I do have an integration sight. I usually make 10 posts, first thing in the morning. Then I switch to the more specialized sights for my professional stuff.

            This is why Twitter is my favorite sight. The purpose of Twitter is for constant, in time conversation. Twitter is a combination blogging and texting sight. Twitter has achieved substantial scale recently. In my experience, as a resident of the United States, most of my professional contacts are on it, as well as most large media and professional organizations. Twitter’s strength is that it is communication that is in real time. In my experience as an author, I have found that with Twitter, I can communicate with physical people, and get information from media sources, such as Time, as a write articles. Twitter encourages this and it is acceptable behavior. Twitter encourages conversation and lots of scale. This is why, if you follow Twitter during your business day, you are not playing hooky---you are engaged in legitimate business activity.

Dean Hambleton

dnhambleton@gmail.com

WHAT ARE THE 2 RULES OF BACK TO SCHOOL SHOPPING

            ABOVE ALL-----ASK YOUR KIDS! If you don’t learn anything else from this article learn this, please. This is one of the beautiful things that social media has done. Social media has developed a whole new set of life skills that is critical.

 Social media is a conversation between two people, the brand and the customer. To thrive in social media is it critical that a marketer develop the ability to create a friendship with a customer and communicate as an equal.

Social media has created a whole new relationship between parents and kids in the area of back-to-school shopping. To do a successful job in shopping, you must become aware of the kid brand. What does your child want in clothes? Your child is attempting to create a positive brand among their peers. Their clothes are critical.

I hope that parents that are involved in social media and especially in branding take their professional expertise and bring it into their homes. Young people are defined and branded by their clothing. To understand this, you have to communicate with them.  In this issue, dealing with your kid is the same as dealing with a social media client. You help a client create a brand. It is a two way communication. To help your kid develop a brand in dress for school, you have to have a two way communication. The reason why you are shopping is to help your young person create an effective brand. HELP THEM.

What is hot to you may be terrible for a kid that has to dress to impress when school starts. You must do due diligence with your child. Be open-minded. What may be over the top for you may be mainstream for them. It goes the other way as well. There is a certain style among young men which I think is totally unacceptable. Social media has taught great life skills in the meeting to two minds and finding a compromise.  The meeting of the minds, especially in dealing with your own kids, will be your hardest social media assignment.  It is also one of the true joys of being a parent. Always remember it is your child’s comfort level, and not yours, within reason, that is critical.

            PRE-SHOP ONLINE.  Social media has re-arranged how people buy back to school clothes.  Social media has given us incredible options. We now have great options in both price and style. In a social media era, we can shop all over the world.

If we Google blue jeans online will, for instance, this should net us (no pun intended) you some great deals.  Mommy bloggers are an important element in shopping for back to school clothes in contemporary shopping.

Mommy bloggers are a critical element in contemporary kid shopping. These bloggers will tell you what companies and designers are hot. They can tell you what you can expect to pay for a certain article. They rate customer experience, which is a critical factor in selecting

THE INNOVATIVE SKILL SET: WHY IS EXPERMINTATION IMPORTANT

THE INNOVATIVE SKILL SET: WHY IS EXPERIMENTATION IMPORTANT?

            In the social media era, creating new content is critical. To do this you have to be innovative. Experimentation creates new and innovative products and content.  To create new brands, sometimes you have to stop and approach something from a different direction. A working prototype is built to see if the rendition is workable.

            Examples of experimentation to create new products are the car industry. In 1908, Henry Ford had an idea that went against the grain from conventional thinking. There were many renditions of the automobile. The conventional wisdom was that the car would be powered by an electrical engine. This created great cost. The cost made it impossible for the average American to own a car.

            To coin a phrase, Ford had a better idea. Henry Ford understood that the car market had to revolve around an average buyer. To construct a car for the average American would be the key to success in the car business. Ford understood that the person who devised a car for working people would create the dominate brand in that space. Ford understood that the only way to create a car like this, a car “for the masses” would be to create a car with oil driven car. Oil was the new type of fuel. Most people in 1908 did not think that oil was a reliable for m of energy. How to change people’s minds? How to create a car brand that runs on oil? EXPERIMENT.

            Ford fought with his investors. Finally, he was able to get the funding he needed to create a prototype engine. The engine was experimented with, and a working model was created.  How to brand the car?

            In his early years, Henry Ford was a champion race car driver. Henry Ford entered his car in a race at Grosse Point, Michigan. It was an important race. He won that race. He demonstrated to everyone that an oil driven car was the means by which the automobile could be constructed for the average individual.

            Recently, Alan Mulally, the C.E.O. of Ford has repositioned the modern auto industry. Mr. Mulally understood better than other auto executives that social media is a central part of an average American’s life. He understood that an average American spends a great deal of their time in their cars. Most cars are not equipped for a driver to bring their social media devices and platforms into a car and interact and still safely drive their cars.  In talking with parents, and being one himself, Mr. Mulally understood that texting was a real problem. He tasked his engineers with finding a solution.

            Ford’s engineers started to experiment with texting and social media to find ways that devices can be plugged into a car’s operating system.  They invented a technology that allows a driver to come into a car, plug in their phones and speaking devices, and speak as they drive.  This is a texting technology. Instead of taking your eyes off the road, a driver texts into his device as they drive.

            Through experimentation, the modern automobile has been redefined from a transportation device into a social media device. Through experimentation, Mr. Mulally rebranded the car into something that has more relevance to the average American.

Dean Hambleton

dnhambleton@gmail.com  

INNIOVATION SKILL SET: WHAT IS OBSERVATION AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

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            An All-Pro NFL linebacker and a world class social media marketer have one thing in common. To be successful, both have to “read their keys”. In football, a linebacker will observe only certain players. That will tell him where the next play will be run. The same way is true in social media marketing.

            The “player” that a marketer keys on in this analogy is your customer and the “key” that you read in order to be successful is how a customer uses your product.  To be a successful marketer you have to be innovative. A major key in being innovative is your ability to observe your customer. Observation is best described by that immortal, Dr. Yogi Berra, “You can see an awful lot just by watching”. This is a prescient observation about what observation is. You watch to see how your customer uses your product. This will give you keen insights in how to improve or market your product.

            A marketer who has done this is Kelly Rowland, the singer.  As I write this article in August of 2011, Ms. Rowland is having great success. The reason why Ms. Rowland’s brand is so successful is because she observed her fans. She “keyed” on them. Her fans have given Ms. Rowland great insight into what they want. Ms. Rowland is a humble woman, but she is a keen marketer. How she has marketed her music is a benchmark to be followed in the marketing of any product.

            Ms. Rowland’s strategy started with a plan and a goal. Her goal was to become the top brand in R&B. She then observed and keyed on her fans to get an insight on how to do this. She observed what music they were buying and what artists lead her genre. She observed that the leading genre of R&B is dance music.

            Ms. Rowland’s observations of her fans made her realize that she had to redefine her brand.  Ms. Rowland’s observation made her become innovative. Ms. Rowland has had success in her career. She has won Grammy’s. Her success was in blues R&B and Gospel. After observing her fans, she realized that to become a player in music, she would have to be innovative.  She realized that she would have to become edgier in both music and in her stage appearance. She would have to become a “new Kelly”.  How to do this?

            Again, the principal is, first observation and then creating a brand through innovation. This is how Ms. Rowland innovated. She sang a duet with a well-known rapper known for edgy lyrics.  However, in the video, the rapper never appears with Ms. Rowland. The lines he sings in the song are very few. By doing it this way, the song “belonged to Kelly”. The video and the song took off.

            Ms. Rowland was innovative in her way of marketing the song. She used YouTube. This is a free sight. The song and video was stylish and edgy. The song took off. Social media is viral. Soon the people were taking the video and song and posting to their friends through social media sights.

            YouTube was an innovative choice for Ms. Rowland. The sight has a “comment” section. She could see first- hand how fans were reacting to the song. She could see how the fans responded to her. She then started giving interviews on video and putting them on YouTube next to the video.  She could answer fan questions in real time, and build a following.

This building of a following was important. The dance R&B is a crowded space. Through an innovative use of YouTube, Kelly observed just when the best time to release her album. When it was released it was No. 3 in the first week.

To create a great brand, first you observe your customers, and then you innovate.  Dr. Yogi Berra best describes the process of observation and innovation, “It ain’t over to till it’s over… and then it ain’t over”.

Dean Hambleton

dnhambleton@gmail.com