People Like Companies Who They Think Are Like Them
The recent debacle involving the CEO of Whole Foods is a good example of brand betrayal. For those of you who haven’t been following, John Mackey, the CEO of Whole Foods, recently penned an Op-Ed in the Wall Street Journal coming out against health care reform and stating that health care isn’t a right, all which are right-leaning conservative views. I won’t personally comment on the issue here (I already did) but his comments were definitely shocking to Whole Foods’ customers, who tend to be fairly progressive and liberal. It has led to outrage on the web and the Whole Foods Forums, all calling for a boycott. Now, Mackey has every right to share his views with others. However, customers also have a right to react to those views. And it’s looking like sharing his opposing viewpoint was a bad business decision given his customer base.

How Open-Minded Are We
On the flip side, many people have a view of Wal-Mart that may not necessarily reflect the actions and views of the company. Long despised by many liberals and left-leaning citizens, Wal-Mart recently announced their support for the idea of employer mandates for health insurance (a position being advocated by the Obama White House). And they have made big strides to support sustainability and the green movement. You may not agree with everything Wal-Mart does, but it’s important to give credit where credit is due. Could this all represent a shift in the company’s philosophy? If so, it will be interesting to see how people react. Will liberal-minded shoppers started fleeing Whole Foods and flock to Wal-Mart?

Respect Their Minds AND Their Hearts
In a society that infuses such deep emotion into brand relationships, it’s important to respect your customers. Place importance not only on what they might think, but also how they may feel about the things you say and do.

If you choose to ignore them, it won’t be long before they choose to ignore you.

Yesterday we looked at the specific metrics that can be used to measure personal influence. Today we will discuss how that influence will be used to create value.

Having strong online personal influence will most likely be leveraged in two different ways, depending upon the person and the brand/marketer involved.

Directly
People who have an established network of followers and readers will be able to draw attention to other brands from within their own personal sphere of influence.

Professionals with a large group of Twitter followers or blog readers will be able to drive attention to a product or service from their network of other professionals (the Robert Scobles of the world are a good example of this).

Public personalities, such as a reality-show star, who have established a social network during their moment of fame will be able to offer that attention back to brands and marketers with quantifiable metrics. (We kind of saw the reverse of this with Tila Tequila).

Individuals within an specific group, such as indie music fans, will be able to quantify their social influence by the number of bands and fans they are connected to. Music labels could use these metrics to find the influential members of the target audience to share unreleased music and information about new bands, thus “seeding” the audience to help grow a fan base. Malcolm Gladwell wrote about influencers in The Tipping Point. Metrics like the ones listed yesterday will allow companies to more easily identify these social influencers.

Indirectly
Aside from showing your own personal value, there will be tremendous value in also showing the ability to use and succeed within social channels. For example, a successful ebook may demonstrate the ability to spread ideas, regardless of the relevance of the topic.

Take the example of a candidate applying for a marketing position who has built a large online network around their hobby of knitting. They maintain a blog about knitting (with a high number of monthly visitors), a large Twitter following for their knitting-themed account, a monthly email newsletter, and participate in online forums and comment on other blogs, all related to knitting. They have shown an understanding and appreciation of online social communities. Even if the job they are applying for has nothing to do with knitting, the demonstrated ability to effectively use online marketing channels is a valuable skill.

So who is listening to you?
We are witnessing the death of mass marketing and advertising. In an attention-based economy, the new currency is social influence. Being able to illustrate that influence with quantifiable metrics will increase your worth as a marketer and as an employee. So get to work building those metrics. The numbers won’t lie.

Update: The second part is available here.

Over at the Forbes CMO network, Marian Salzman recently wrote an article regarding the measurement of personal influence where she discusses the growing realization among marketers that anyone can be a brand.

Building an online sphere of influence can be a powerful way to market not only your product or service, but also yourself. Whether you are an entrepreneur or an employee, social influence is going to continue to grow as an important part of your professional credentials.

Creating an influence network (or Tribe) is a powerful engine you can put behind your ideas and your career. I see this influence being quantified by a mix of statistics and metrics, similar to the way we track online advertising or database marketing.

Audience:
# of Twitter Followers
# of Facebook Friends
# of LinkedIn Contacts
# of Monthly Blog Visitors
# of Blog RSS/Feedburner Subscribers
# of downloads of an eBook someone authored (along with languages it’s been translated to, or number of countries it has been downloaded from)
# of attendees at meetups held by the individual
-Success on social news sites, such as reddit or digg. (like, reddit karma points. Or total number of diggs to articles submitted).
-Google PageRank of their personal site, blog, etc.
-Search Engine results around terms (e.g. having a high placement for searches of “small business marketing”)

Frequency:
# of Twitter Updates/Facebook Status Messages
# of Monthly Blog Posts
# of Monthly Comments on other blogs
# of Meetups organized by individual

Engagement:
# of comments on their blog by others
# of LinkedIn recommendations
# of referrers to their blog/articles/tweets (are they stirring debate and discussion in their community)
# of page views by a visitor to their blog (are they just driving traffic, or building loyalty)

There are more of course, but you get the idea. While it’s unlikely we will see questions about these metrics popping up on job applications, the smart marketer/applicant will start promoting themselves in this way. As job applicants continue to talk about the diminishing returns provided by resumes and cover letters, offering a snapshot of their social influence will make much more of an impact.

Tomorrow we will take a look at the two different ways this influence will be used to make people more valuable.

To template or not to template? At what budget/scale should you spring for the custom design? I hate templates but they do serve a purpose. I have a friend who’s running a consulting business on his credit card, so for him the template is an unfortunate necessity. Still I wonder if $1000 worth of custom branding/design wouldn’t pay for itself within a few months.

As a designer who also happens to be a big believer in keeping budgets small, my answer might be somewhat predictable:

It depends.

In general, I think templates serve a valuable purpose. Using templates anyone, regardless of skill level, can get their business or idea off the ground on a shoestring budget. Domain names for a few bucks, cheap hosting, and a good template make it easy to launch a website. The abundance of free and inexpensive templates available online eliminate any excuse for not having a professional looking online identity. It may not be terribly unique, but looking polished and professional is the bare minimum these days.

On the other hand, a custom design allows you to stand out from the crowd, and better communicate your brand values to your audience. A unique look will make your site more memorable and will allow you to structure the site exactly the way you want to. By working with a talented designer (or by being one), you can work to develop a brand and look that will differentiate your business and create value over the long run.

Since this is admittedly a wish-washy answer, I put together a few questions you can ask yourself to help decide which direction is best for you.

Can I afford custom design?
This is obviously the most important question. If budget alone is the reason you haven’t launched a website, then by all means go with a template. There are tons of great sites out there for free or inexpensive templates. One of my favorites is Open Source Web Design.

Is my business the actual website, or does my website promote my business?
This question attempts to determine how important a unique site will be at this stage of your business. If you need to launch a site to promote your consulting business, or your cookie delivery service, or landscaping company, starting out with a template is fine. If you want to launch a web startup and the business is the actual site itself, then having a unique look is more important. A well-designed site becomes part of your brand’s value and will play a bigger role in your success. However, if you can’t afford custom design, I would still suggest using a template vs. not launching the site at all.

Is there any reason I can’t switch to a custom design later?
In 99.9% of cases, the answer here will be no. Even if you use templates to build your site, you can always develop a custom design later on. Launching early will give you an idea as to how viable your business will be before you fork over the cash for a custom website. And it can provide some insight as to what people respond to, what areas of your site users visit, and what they click on. This can help you have a more informed design process when you do take the leap to custom design. Just don’t forget to add some analytics to your site when you’re starting out.

As for when to move to a custom design, I think your specific business will dictate what the right moment is. You will usually recognize when a templated design is holding a business back. If you launch an online business and experience a nice amount of traffic but a low amount of conversions, such as sign-ups, then a custom design may help you convert that traffic into paying customers. Ideally, the right moment will be once you have some money rolling in. The best situation would be for the business for fund its own design.

It’s easy to create barriers between having an idea and executing on it. For many businesses, the first step is launching the website. Using templates allows us to breathe life into an idea now, as opposed to waiting until we can afford custom design. In fact, even as a designer, I decided to use an existing WordPress template for this site and customize it, rather than find the time to create one from scratch.

Templates can provide a free and fast bridge between idea and reality. The most important step in launching any business is just jumping in, so use whatever means you can to just get in the water and start splashing around as soon as possible.

In today’s environment, you can’t have a conversation about business naming without considering domain names and their availability. There is always the option of adding an LLC or INC to a name in order to obtain the domain, but they tend to be less memorable and confusing to customers. So we’ll take those options off the table, and consider naming practices that involve finding a corresponding domain.

There are various things to consider when starting out, but to help you along, here are a few core concerns to take into account when choosing a name and domain for your business. Follow these guidelines, and you will be on your way to creating a memorable and dynamic brand.

Here are 5 Things to Consider When Naming Your Business or Website:

1. Uniqueness
Picking a unique name or making up a new word (like Twitter) can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it creates an opportunity to own that word, and any related terms (like tweet). In a online world run by search engines, creating your own word helps to ensure that people will be able to find you, and you will own the “Google-juice” that goes along with that term.

On the other hand, inventing a word or phrase can be an uphill battle in building awareness. Upon first hearing such a name, customers won’t understand what product or service is being offered. You will have to explain not only what your business does, but also what the name means. Since many times they have no rational meaning, unique names are often laced with emotion and can taint how a customer perceives your business. Twitter faces a challenge being taken seriously as a communications medium because their name and brand is unserious and whimsical.

The common practice of combining two words together won’t have some of the same benefits as a truly unique name, but can help explain to customers what they can expect. Names like TaxPro.com (for an accountant) or ClosetMaid.com (for closet organizers) immediately convey something about the product or service. It will also earn your site a higher ranking in search results for terms like “tax professionals” or “closets.”

Domainsbot.com is a great site for finding a domain name. You can enter a specific term and it will show lists of available names using that word. Play around with it if you’re looking for a name.

2. Easy to pronounce
Having a name that is easy to pronounce is important for two reasons. First, it makes it easier for people to spread the word and tell others about your business. But it also helps them to spell it correctly, whether they are searching for it or typing it into their web browser.

The cookware and kitchen supplies company Sur La Table takes a risk with their name, with some consumers being unsure how to pronounce it and having a name that sounds as if it could be spelled multiple ways (sur, ser, sir). Having a name that is straightforward and easy to pronounce can take away a lot of the guesswork consumers might have.

3. Easy to spell
A good name may be easy to pronounce, but it should also be easy to spell. A lot of great names can include words that are commonly misspelled and can make poor domain names. Sun Surveillance sounds like a good name for a line of solar-powered security cameras, but the word surveillance isn’t an easy word to spell, and makes for an easy-to-mistype domain name.

Using numbers in place of words can also be a losing strategy when choosing domain names, as can using dashes. 24-7 Yellow Cab spells out what they offer, but good luck getting anyone to remember the website is 24-7yellowcab.com.

4. Open to Future Growth
When you are first starting out, it can be hard to look into the future and predict the way your business may change and grow. Having a very specific name can limit you down the road, as can tying it to a specific technology or naming trend. A lot of businesses and domains that use “e” in their name seem dated now that people have stop using e-business, e-consulting and other related terms to the extent they used to.

A name like MySpaceTemplates.com may provide great SEO results initially, but as MySpace continues to falter, the site will be limited by their name (it’s also never a good idea to include someone else’s trademark in your name). A name like ProfileTemplates.com would provide a longer shelf-life (though that also limits the site to templates for social networking profiles). There will always be some level of tradeoff between finding a useful name and leaving it open to future growth, but it’s important to be aware of the possibilities your name will provide down the road.

5. Can it be Misinterpreted?
This is perhaps the most hilarious of considerations to be aware of when choosing a name. It’s funny to look at businesses that have made mistakes like this, but it’s hard not to feel sorry for those who have names that can be interperted in…less than appropriate ways.

Kids Exchange seems like a respectable name for a childrens’ clothing consignment shop, but you would be hard-pressed to find a domain worse for such a business than kidsexchange.net. In the same vein, Therapist Finder assists Californians with finding a therapist or counselor, but I’m not sure therapistfinder.com offers a service many people are looking for. Take a few extra moments to write out each name to try and catch these types of errors. Even better, show it written down to a few other people before you move forward. It can save you from embarrassment later on.

Finding an effective and catchy name for your business is the first step in creating a lasting brand. Remember, there is no such thing as a perfect name. There are pros and cons to every option. Just take these suggestions into consideration when making your selection and you will be on your way to building a successful business.

Most of us know Billy from his commercials and the booming voice he used to sell products such as OxyClean, Mighty Putty, and Orange Glo. His formula was always the same: loud voice, blue shirt, big smile. And it worked. Billy became one of the most sought-after pitchmen in the country and has made a hit out of countless products.

Ever since studying the direct response business in college, I have always been fascinated by the art of the “pitch” and have immense respect for Billy Mays and the empire he built for himself. As a tribute, I put together a few things we can all learn from him.

Here are the 5 Lessons I Learned from Billy Mays.

1. The importance of “WOW!”
Billy Mays understood the importance of WOW! moments. Talking about customer benefits and product attributes are important, but what really intrigues people is the WOW! moment. On his show Pitchmen, we saw WOW! moments like a power saw cutting an entire car in half or Billy holding a skunk to demonstrate an odor-killing product. This is what captures attention and demonstrates a product benefit better than words ever could. Make sure to add WOW! moments to your product demo or presentation. This is what people will be talking about afterwards.

2. Be an Authority.
Every commercial started with the same exact phrase: “Billy Mays here…” Billy understood that people respect experts and a sense of authority. Even without knowing who he was, it seemed like we should know who he was. And there he was putting his name behind a product. Over time, he did become an actual authority. This is what ultimately made him so valuable, and why we all know who he is. Which leads us to…

3. Develop a Personal Brand.
Billy Mays wasn’t only a man, he was a brand. By aligning themselves with Brand Billy, companies knew they could sell a lot of product. And it is this valuable brand that earned Billy Mays his fortune. As people continue to jump jobs more often, and start their own businesses, the importance of developing a personal brand continues to grow. A respected personal brand will get you more clients, or increase your worth when looking for a job.

4. Smile. Always Smile.
People buy things from people they like. Billy was always smiling. He was friendly and personable. He dripped with charisma. He seemed like a nice guy and people responded to it. Smiling is a key element of selling. Sales coaches even recommend you smile when you are on the phone as it improves the tone of your voice. Billy Mays understood the importance of being likeable and so should we.

5. Be the Best.
Billy Mays was one of the best at what he did. When a company was looking to hire a pitchman, they didn’t look to hire a guy with a beard and a loud voice. They looked to hire Billy. As Seth Godin says, “If you’re the best in the world, the phone rings.” It’s up to you to define what it is you are the best at. It can be to a small and focused audience, but whatever it is you do, you need to stand out and excel. Be the best, and you will always have work.

Billy Mays loved to sell, and people loved to buy from him. He went from selling washing machines on the boardwalks of Atlantic City to building a sales empire on nothing but his smile and his unmistakable voice. It’s sad to see him go.

I encourage you to check out Discovery’s Pitchmen. It is entertaining, but it also has a lot to say about marketing and the art of selling.

We’ll miss you, Billy.

He recently made purchases from two different websites. One site had a clean and polished look to it, and projected a sense of credibility and professionalism. The other site wasn’t as polished and as he put it “was clearly a family run business.” But the site achieved a level of authenticity that made it feel trustworthy. Seemingly two opposite ends of the spectrum, and yet these different approaches worked for both of them.

The way your website, or your logo, or your marketing materials look all have a big impact on the impression that potential customers have of your business. It is important that you do your best to think about the way your business is being portrayed. Regardless of which approach you use, if you don’t come across as trustworthy and credible, , it won’t matter how good your idea or product is.

The traditional red and white Campbell’s soup can with its gold medallion, dating from the turn of the 19th century, inspired confidence in generations of American consumers. It was redesigned in 1994 to show a mouthwatering picture of the contents because the company found that although people were keeping cans in their cupboards at home, they were not actually eating the soup. The colors and medallion remain, although less prominently than before the design change.

As marketing channels become more and more cluttered, the important of packaging design is going to continually increase. The package will have an increasing responsibility to visually illustrate the product and brand attributes. The importance of logos will decrease, as more consumer decisions are made at the point of purchase. Something to think about.

Source: brandchannel.com