Does Your Brand Stick Out?
April 27, 2010
Fortune Marketing Company exhibited at the Fairfield Suisun Business and Consumer Expo last night. It was a great opportunity to mix and mingle with the community and other local business owners. One thing I realized is: I’m thankful for my Fortune Cookies! 
When I first started my company, I called my friend Erin Jacobs (one of the most brilliant marketers I’ve ever known) and told her I’d chosen a name for my business: Fortune Marketing Company. Being the creative genius she is, she immediately suggested that I buy customized fortune cookies and hand them out at my workshops and seminars. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t crazy about the idea. When I decided upon “Fortune” for my name, I envisioned the bold sophistication of Fortune Magazine – or the prestige and success of the Fortune 500; not some wishy washy leave- it-to–chance type image of soothsayers and fortune tellers. After all – I was teaching people that marketing is about a system and a process – not something you leave up to chance.
But because the idea was catchy and because it was my friend Erin I ordered the personalized Fortune Cookies, stapled my business card to the wrappers and began handing them out at business mixers, events, my seminars and workshops, speaking engagements and even people I met in line at the grocery store (that is if I had 1 or 2 in my purse that hadn’t completely crumbled) and guess what? People love them! And not only do people love them- they remember them, they talk about them and they therefore remember Fortune Marketing Company and talk about us – oftentimes even before they ever meet me (see, I told you Erin was brilliant!). I don’t know how many times I’ve handed a Fortune Cookie to someone and they’ve said to me, “Oh I’ve heard of you”, or “I’ve seen you”. OMG – That is GREAT STUFF!
I’ve been to a lot of trade shows and last night’s was no different: A lot of exhibitors standing around trying to figure out a way to grab the attention of passers-by so they can engage them in a conversation about their business. There are a lot of branded pens, post-it notes and letter openers at trade shows. Who doesn’t have dozens of them in a drawer somewhere?
I was grateful last night for my Fortune Cookies. I got to hand out fun and hope all wrapped up in a little sweet and crunchy treat! (With my message inside them of course!) Most of the people I offer a cookie to take one - and more often than not they stop dead in their tracks to talk to me. So, despite my misgivings, the Fortune Cookies work. They create buzz, they get people talking and they are great conversation starters! Thanks Erin!
What is your hook? What do you do or hand out or deliver that gets people talking before they even meet you?
What do you think?! Please click here to leave your comments. (And then scroll down to the comments section on the bottom of the page)
3 Questions I Get Asked Most About Social Media
April 18, 2010
I participated on a Social Media Expert Panel at CAL NARPM (California Association of Rental Property Managers) State Conference in Concord, CA this week. It was a great panel with representatives from Oodle, Rental Homes Plus and Appfolio. I was honored to be a part of such a dynamic panel. I wanted to share with you three questions we got, because these are the questions I get asked every day and thought you might have them too.
Q: What is Social Media going to do for me? How is it going to change my life?
A: Social media is not the end all and be all of marketing. As John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing says, “Social Media is a tool, not a religion”. Yes, Social Media is all the buzz, because it’s new, it’s exciting and it’s growing like wild fire. But that doesn’t mean it’s the “Magic Pill” of marketing. Social media, like direct mail, email marketing, referral marketing and PR should simply be another tool in your tool box to help people get to know, like and trust you so that when they need what you offer, they come to you!
So what am I saying? Well I’m saying if you’re using it, great, but I hope it’s just one part of your overall marketing strategy. If you aren’t using it you should probably invest some time in figuring it out – but don’t stress over it! Start small. Choose one platform a month – maybe Facebook – and devote an hour a week to building your fan page. Then move on to LinkedIn, Twitter, or some of the local search profiles.
Marketing is a system made up of many pieces – Social Media is not going to “cure” all of your marketing woes. So take it one step at a time and keep it in perspective! The only “Magic Pill” to effective marketing is a Marketing system.
Q: What’s all the hype? Do I really need Social Media?
A: Think of it this way, your customers are participating in Social Media, even if you aren’t. Like restaurant owners, Property Managers know all too well that their customers and tenants are using social media even if they are not. As I heard in the discussion on Thursday, people seem much more motivated to leave bad reviews than good ones! Sites like Yelp, Insider Pages, Yahoo Local and more make it easy for customers to broadcast their views to the world. So, if you aren’t claiming your brand and controlling your messaging online then you could be allowing the masses to run amok and smear your name – and your reputation.
Participating in Social Media allows you to keep a pulse on what is being said about your company and positons you to react to it quickly and appropriately. Remember – you can’t erase bad reviews- but you can bury them by asking happy customers to post positive reviews and by taking charge of your company’s online content and learning some basic Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies.
Q: Isn’t Social Networking so impersonal? I prefer to do my networking the old fashioned way – face to face.
A: I challenge the idea that Social Networking is wiping out face-to-face relationships. I believe that Social media is bringing communities together – maybe in a different way – or maybe not so different. We no longer live in “Little House on the Prairie” type communities where everyone knows everyone else by name and meets up at the church/schoolhouse on Sunday to catch up with one another. We live in large cities; we may not even know our neighbors’ names. We work long hours, we commute, we don’t have the time to invest in our physical communities like our society used to.
To me, Social Media is changing that a bit. We can now meet people who share our ideas, interests, and beliefs through social networking that we may never have met otherwise- and the beauty of it is- those relationships don’t have to exist solely online! Many of us take at least some of these online relationships off line – and actually meet in person, face-to-face! I now have several people in my offline circle of friends, colleagues and acquaintances that I would never have met in the offline world. Social Media is a bit of a contradiction – it allows us to connect with people all over the world; yet I feel it makes our own personal worlds smaller again. Social Media gives us the opportunity to connect in ways we would otherwise not connect, with people we’d otherwise not meet but with whom we share very real commonalities.
What do you think?! Please click here to leave your comments. (And then scroll down to the comments section on the bottom of the page)
Put the “You” before the “I”
April 11, 2010
This week’s blog is a guest post by professional speaker and trainer Ethan Rotman. As Principle of ISpeakEASY, Ethan has been speaking to groups for over 30 years and has been training presenters for more than 25 years. Ethan brings his excitement and enthusiasm to each workshop and coaching session, leading by example and always showing the importance of preparation. To learn more about Ethan Rotman and iSpeakEasy visit: http://www.ispeakeasy.net/index.htmlI asked Ethan to submit an article for my blog because I think speaking (i.e. how we business owners and professionals present ourselves) is a huge part of marketing. In this post Ethan talks about engaging your audience through the use of “You” vs. “I”. This tactic translates into success in all aspects of marketing: advertising; blogging; social media; networking; public speaking. When we put our audience, customer or prospect first we will always be doing what is best for our business.
Put The “YOU” Before The “I” by Ethan Rotman
Work, family, hobbies, vacation, religion, politics, sexuality – what is your favorite thing to talk about? While not everyone will admit it – most people’s choice is themselves. Likewise, the topic we find most int
eresting to listen to is again, ourselves.
Use this to your advantage when trying to capture the attention of your audience. Tell them something you know about them, a quality you admire, or an obstacle they have overcome. Cite the good work they have done or acknowledge their efforts – in a sincere and honest manner. Talk about them before you talk about yourself.
This technique helps grab the audience’s attention and encourages them to listen to you. It is amazing how engaging it is to hear a person talk about us! Many speakers begin by listing their own credentials and experiences – which most audiences find far less interesting.
Have you ever been in a crowded room full of noise when suddenly you hear one word above the roar – that word is your name? Your ears perk up and you focus on finding out who said it. It is the one topic that we are always interested in hearing about – regardless of our mood or what else is going on.
In a speech to a group of volunteers, the mayor of a large city began by talking about the importance of volunteerism, the benefits to the volunteer, and the difference in the world these people are making. He could have talked about his efforts spearheading this program or the accomplishments of his administration but instead he spoke to the audience about the audience and in doing so, gained their attention, their support, and their loyalty.
A great way to grab and hold your audience’s attention is to speak about something near and dear to them. For example, when speaking to a decision making body (such as a city council) –begin by acknowledging the work the council does in creating a better civic life, When speaking to a potential client acknowledge their successes and the challenges they face.
The next time you are getting ready to speak – put “you” into your sentence before you say “I.” It takes effort to do this, almost as if it is unnatural, but you can learn to do this effectively in a short amount of time.
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Let's Get Social!
