Back to the Basics
March 8, 2010
- Being on social media doesn't make your brand interesting. Being interesting makes you interesting.
- Social media is an amplifier. It takes what you truly are and makes it louder and more prominent. This is great unless your off-line brand sucks.
- If you treat social media like advertising, your audience will treat it like advertising.
- The best brands feel comfortable having their people talk to other humans. This means they embrace being transparent and don't block the use of social media.
- Great brands already have a community; they just use social media to facilitate those existing conversations.
- If you have made someone really, really happy or really, really mad then you are already on social media.
- At some point in the very near future, if you aren't on social media (as an organization or a person), then you won't exist.
- As with all things branding, be simple, unexpected, and consistent.
- Lead by example: if an organization's top executive isn't using social media then what does that say about listening and relevance?
- Spending money on how to use social media is stupid. Spending money to learn why is smart. In other words, once you know why, social media is a do-it-yourself project.
Blog: http://fosterunfiltered.com/
Twitter:http://twitter.com/brandmilitia
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JustinFoster
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/agencyunderground
SlideShare: http://www.slideshare.net/brandmilitia
Why Rock Bands Sell More
March 7, 2010
- Rock bands are cool. A key driver of self-interest of most people is to be cool - and be perceived as cool. But a rock band actually has to be cool - otherwise you end up on a reality show with eye-liner left over from the 80s (Yes, I'm talking about you, Bret Michaels)
- Great rock bands are forever relevant. Who doesn't want to be relevant? A thousand years from now, Elvis, The Beatles, and Nirvana will still be relevant.
- Rock bands are quirky. This means they stand out. As I have loudly proclaimed, conformity is not a brand strategy.
- Rock bands are interesting. Why do you think they have groupies? And what brand doesn't want groupies?
- Rock bands are good at what they do - and know it. Some purists bang on Green Day for being sell-outs but you don't last 20 years and sell millions of albums by sucking.
- The best rock bands work really hard to earn respect rather than purchase it. They tour constantly, interact with fans, and consistently produce great music - see above.
Like a bolt right out of the blue
The sky's alight with the guitar bite
Heads will roll and rock tonight!
Blog: http://justinfoster.posterous.com/
Twitter:http://twitter.com/brandmilitia
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JustinFoster
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/agencyunderground
SlideShare: http://www.slideshare.net/brandmilitia Remember: conformity is not a branding strategy!
Chamber Event Videos
February 26, 2010
The Chamber of Commerce recently held an event dedicated to answering business’ questions regarding social media. Here are a few of the highlights.
The Best Mindset in Social Media
Your Competitors on Social Media
The Future in Social Media
The What and Why
February 23, 2010
The What and Why of Branding
The WHAT
Branding is something different. It is not marketing in the traditional sense. It is not graphic design or logos. It is not reaching a target audience with a perfected politically correct message. Branding at its core is real, maybe perfectly raw and transparent. It is spherical, not linear.
It starts with an individual brand (person, idea, organization) and it reaches out to the next sphere. If the idea, person or organization is good enough then it will continue to reach further and further with an exponential effect. A great brand will last a thousand years. It breaks barriers and transcends generations. Disney is one of these brands. Apple is becoming one of these brands.
The WHY
Great brands offer something unique. They offer a connection. Which brands do you identify with, about which you find yourself saying “I fit here”? It may be a coffee shop, a computer or a car. That feeling of “I fit here,” is a deep connection in the heart of an individual, contributing to a sense of identity.
Branding is about the individual, never the masses. Think of your customers by name, by face. When a customer is treated like an individual, they feel valued. Because of this, they can’t help but to talk about the brands that reach out to them in this way. The great brands start with the individual.
5 Stupidly Simple Ideas
November 18, 2009
5 Stupidly Simple Ideas for growing your brand without spending money on marketing!
- Look good. Every detail matters so focus on first impressions - logo, building, web site, personal appearance, how your phone is answered - any area of your brand that people first come in contact with.
- Be interesting. This is not about pretending to be interesting in order to attract attention. This is about having an actual story about being creative, different, bold, innovative - whatever you truly are.
- Tell stories. Tell the stories of the people that are connected to your brand - customers, employees, vendors, etc. Get a flip camera, a web platform and get started.
- Listen. It is stupidly easy to ask for feedback if you are willing to listen to your audience. This can be a simple survey that prompts dialog - or just asking “how are we treating you?”
- Make a deal. Offer something that is such a good deal that it would be stupid for people to ignore it. This can be a great price, a limited offer, added value - or a combo of all three. Example here.
Notice how none of these ideas mention marketing? This is because no one cares about what you are marketing, but they do care about who you really are and how you can help them!
-
Subscribe to the Blog
