The young designer meets with the business owner. He shows his portfolio, proud as a peacock for the wonderful logos, posters and web pages he's designed. He tells the owner his design philosophy, his going rate and then asks for the owner's business.
He doesn't get the job. The owner doesn't even pay for the coffee.
He walks away with his beautiful stainless portfolio and curses under his breath that the business owner is a jerk for not understanding real talent when he sees it.
What our friend doesn't recognize is — whatever they may be. I've found it very possible (even likely) that the portfolio never needs to be shown to a prospective client. Especially in today's world, where your website is your OPEN 24 HOURS sign. Your prospect will have already viewed your work before he's ever met you.
Focus on the business owner.
The "mission" then, is to listen and to ask a series of questions that draw out what the owner is most interested to achieve; where there may be new opportunities; and what concerns he's in need of fixing. Most importantly, you're a conduit to getting him sales. How you fit into the equation is the answer you seek. For many, just figuring out the equation is half the battle.
Freely providing opinion, counsel and advice on how to handle the work is something worth providing. All too often, designer's become very protective of their work - fearful that it will be stolen. The truth is that most people can't do what designers do. Go ahead and offer up big ideas... the more the merrier. It has been my experience that the report (read "trust") with the prospect increases dramatically, allowing the project to be awarded to you without ever even asking for it.
Now, young designer, go out and "sell" by asking the best questions in town.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Lessons Learned from Jacko PR
It is not my intent to speak ill of the dead, nor to be completely crass, but with the sudden demise of the King of Pop, there are lessons to be learned by anyone (or any company) that must face the scrutiny of the public eye -- especially in crisis.
For the past five days, Michael Jackson's death has trumped ANY other story... worldwide. It is truly a testimony to his "icon" status - apparently, "Elvis has left the building." However, as everyone knows, Michael Jackson's eccentricities, his fiscal debts, as well as his accusations of molestation had left his image tarnished and a brand that was on the verge of a star's worst fear: irrelevancy.
So how do you ensure a legacy worth remembering?
You get ahead of the curve and own your content such that you can dictate the message to be digested by your public. Far too often, we see politicians and businesses who have come under bad press precisely because they used a "head in the sand" approach... just hoping for it all to "go away."
Nothing could be worse.
Jackson's family (and publicists) knew the "story" was going to be big - the question was not "Who was going to tell it" (because everyone was), but "How would they tell it?"
By delivering steady portions to a ravenous media, they effectively have controlled which items would be newsworthy in a given news cycle. When everything you do is the fodder for publicity, the anti-crowd can not mount a persuasive campaign because the news of the day is already set. It is my contention that those closest to Jackson - and to his estate - decided very swiftly to set the agenda of how he was to be perceived: whether he was a victim; did someone need to answer for his death; and how others OWED their careers to a "legendary pioneer." A tainted Michael Jackson is a devalued brand. And a devalued brand is money and opportunity... lost.
To my knowledge, there has not been a single derogatory story regarding Jackson. This morning, home movies of Jackson frolicking with his unmasked children appeared, exclusively on the Today Show. "Michael Jackson as good father" should have been the headline. An intriguing rebuttle to the creepiness-factor of veiling your children by offering up the loving dad who did so to protect their identities and to give them a chance at "normalcy". (Curiously, showing their faces now ensures that they will have no such luck from this point forward.) No matter, that's NOT the story. Everyone will still think he was an eccentric, but moving public perception from pedophile to a loving father attempts to soften cynical hearts the rest of us held about his integrity -- giving his memory a new chance at redemption.
What his true legacy will become, only time will tell - but one thing is for certain, those that were in line to put their teeth into his estate to extract their debt owed may be thinking twice as they stand in a line at the profit potential of a "New Graceland" ...for decades and dollars to come.
For the past five days, Michael Jackson's death has trumped ANY other story... worldwide. It is truly a testimony to his "icon" status - apparently, "Elvis has left the building." However, as everyone knows, Michael Jackson's eccentricities, his fiscal debts, as well as his accusations of molestation had left his image tarnished and a brand that was on the verge of a star's worst fear: irrelevancy.
So how do you ensure a legacy worth remembering?
You get ahead of the curve and own your content such that you can dictate the message to be digested by your public. Far too often, we see politicians and businesses who have come under bad press precisely because they used a "head in the sand" approach... just hoping for it all to "go away."
Nothing could be worse.
Jackson's family (and publicists) knew the "story" was going to be big - the question was not "Who was going to tell it" (because everyone was), but "How would they tell it?"
By delivering steady portions to a ravenous media, they effectively have controlled which items would be newsworthy in a given news cycle. When everything you do is the fodder for publicity, the anti-crowd can not mount a persuasive campaign because the news of the day is already set. It is my contention that those closest to Jackson - and to his estate - decided very swiftly to set the agenda of how he was to be perceived: whether he was a victim; did someone need to answer for his death; and how others OWED their careers to a "legendary pioneer." A tainted Michael Jackson is a devalued brand. And a devalued brand is money and opportunity... lost.
To my knowledge, there has not been a single derogatory story regarding Jackson. This morning, home movies of Jackson frolicking with his unmasked children appeared, exclusively on the Today Show. "Michael Jackson as good father" should have been the headline. An intriguing rebuttle to the creepiness-factor of veiling your children by offering up the loving dad who did so to protect their identities and to give them a chance at "normalcy". (Curiously, showing their faces now ensures that they will have no such luck from this point forward.) No matter, that's NOT the story. Everyone will still think he was an eccentric, but moving public perception from pedophile to a loving father attempts to soften cynical hearts the rest of us held about his integrity -- giving his memory a new chance at redemption.
What his true legacy will become, only time will tell - but one thing is for certain, those that were in line to put their teeth into his estate to extract their debt owed may be thinking twice as they stand in a line at the profit potential of a "New Graceland" ...for decades and dollars to come.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Branding domains
Over the years, I have created dozens of new brands, for my clients and for myself — all of which, needed a domain name. Let's see, there was atomicpark.com, integreyt.com., thecheapbook.com, marqeter.com, greenlandia.com, jigantic.com, kickerscamp.com... even jacksonspencer.com.
So what's in a name? Most everything.
Since you're starting out with a clean slate, you want to try for the optimum in branding, which is a consistent execution of your brand throughout everything you're doing. The first step is finding a memorable and meaningful name, and whenever possible, securing a domain name that is identical to that brand name. Look up pepsi.com, mcdonalds.com or nike.com and you're sure to find the brand you expect. But when we're closing in on 3 billion domains worldwide, it can be daunting to find what you're after.
So how do come up with a great name that isn't taken?
There are two routes: first, if you think you know the brand name you want, check with your domain registrar (i.e. GoDaddy.com, 1and1.com, etc.) and see if you can get it. Most likely, you won't. Of course, then you'll check to see if the .net, .biz or .org suffixes are available - which in many cases, they still are. Although more and more of us understand that these other domains exist, if you're interested in being found in organic searches, don't do it. Stick with .com. It's the paradigm that everyone knows. You can add "online" to your name, or "site" or even "my" to the prefix to secure it, but the more letters you use, the more unwieldy your name becomes and it starts to look like it's tacked on... well, maybe because it is.
The second option, is to create a "sticky" unique name.
Do this, by getting as good an understanding of your new business and your competition — especially your competition. Is there a common pattern to their names? Is your business plan to be just like them or to be a very different option from them? Both are valid. In the case of JacksonSpencer, it was to compete with much larger entities - all of whom typically use the last names of the founders of the business. (True in ad agencies, law practices and accounting firms). However, the twist for me is that these are the first names of my two oldest sons. For those in the know, it's a cute and personalized touch on my business. For those that don't know me, JacksonSpencer is perceived as an established firm in a downtown office every bit as capable as anyone else with stuffy names on their door.
However, in the case of AtomicPark, (a now defunct software reseller), the name was derived to place a different perception in customers heads. The look and feel and naming was all about a positive 1950's golden age of politeness and "swell service". In a sea of impersonal software sales, the idea of buying Norton Anti-Virus from a group of people who were courteous, timely and a little quirky was a great point of departure. The company soared from literally $0 sales to $25,000,000 in just 5 years. Thanks, in part, to a "sticky" domain name.
Sites with made up, contracted or squished-together names like twitter.com, flickr.com and youtube.com are now part of our lexicon. These unusual, but memorable names are the ones that can help gain you a unique spot in the marketplace. My advice is to make sure that your new brand name has a back story. That's it's not unusual to simply be unusual. It should have a certain flow that's easy to say and to write - and ideally, has something in the name that pertains to it's purpose.
MarQeter.com is short and sweet, but it uses a "Q" in place of the "K". That's a danger, but the logo utilizes a cap "Q" to help emphasize this difference, and the tagline uses an initial "Q word" to help reinforce the change: "Quick effective marketing solutions for small business." The strength of this brand will rely on establishing this "Q" differentiation by leveraging the recognizability that it is a "marketing" site.
Need help coming up with a name? Well, that's one of the things that JacksonSpencer does exceedingly well. Contact mike@jacksonspencer.com
So what's in a name? Most everything.
Since you're starting out with a clean slate, you want to try for the optimum in branding, which is a consistent execution of your brand throughout everything you're doing. The first step is finding a memorable and meaningful name, and whenever possible, securing a domain name that is identical to that brand name. Look up pepsi.com, mcdonalds.com or nike.com and you're sure to find the brand you expect. But when we're closing in on 3 billion domains worldwide, it can be daunting to find what you're after.
So how do come up with a great name that isn't taken?
There are two routes: first, if you think you know the brand name you want, check with your domain registrar (i.e. GoDaddy.com, 1and1.com, etc.) and see if you can get it. Most likely, you won't. Of course, then you'll check to see if the .net, .biz or .org suffixes are available - which in many cases, they still are. Although more and more of us understand that these other domains exist, if you're interested in being found in organic searches, don't do it. Stick with .com. It's the paradigm that everyone knows. You can add "online" to your name, or "site" or even "my" to the prefix to secure it, but the more letters you use, the more unwieldy your name becomes and it starts to look like it's tacked on... well, maybe because it is.
The second option, is to create a "sticky" unique name.
Do this, by getting as good an understanding of your new business and your competition — especially your competition. Is there a common pattern to their names? Is your business plan to be just like them or to be a very different option from them? Both are valid. In the case of JacksonSpencer, it was to compete with much larger entities - all of whom typically use the last names of the founders of the business. (True in ad agencies, law practices and accounting firms). However, the twist for me is that these are the first names of my two oldest sons. For those in the know, it's a cute and personalized touch on my business. For those that don't know me, JacksonSpencer is perceived as an established firm in a downtown office every bit as capable as anyone else with stuffy names on their door.
However, in the case of AtomicPark, (a now defunct software reseller), the name was derived to place a different perception in customers heads. The look and feel and naming was all about a positive 1950's golden age of politeness and "swell service". In a sea of impersonal software sales, the idea of buying Norton Anti-Virus from a group of people who were courteous, timely and a little quirky was a great point of departure. The company soared from literally $0 sales to $25,000,000 in just 5 years. Thanks, in part, to a "sticky" domain name.
Sites with made up, contracted or squished-together names like twitter.com, flickr.com and youtube.com are now part of our lexicon. These unusual, but memorable names are the ones that can help gain you a unique spot in the marketplace. My advice is to make sure that your new brand name has a back story. That's it's not unusual to simply be unusual. It should have a certain flow that's easy to say and to write - and ideally, has something in the name that pertains to it's purpose.
MarQeter.com is short and sweet, but it uses a "Q" in place of the "K". That's a danger, but the logo utilizes a cap "Q" to help emphasize this difference, and the tagline uses an initial "Q word" to help reinforce the change: "Quick effective marketing solutions for small business." The strength of this brand will rely on establishing this "Q" differentiation by leveraging the recognizability that it is a "marketing" site.
Need help coming up with a name? Well, that's one of the things that JacksonSpencer does exceedingly well. Contact mike@jacksonspencer.com
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Building a Powerful Brand in 60 Seconds
:01 Pick something, anything, to promote your business and be consistent about it. Here's a thought: try putting all of your stuff in a brown paper bag. What if your business card was kraft paper brown? And the envelopes? And your website, too? That organic look alone would put you in a different spot than your competitors and your cost would be next to $0.
:20 Pick a domain name that can be understood quickly. Skip the dashes, try to be short and sweet, but if you can't, it's OK to be long... as long as it's simple to type in (i.e: Milwaukeesbestmarketer.com). The real trick for most small businesses is that you simply need to get your web address or e-mail address from your business card to your prospect's computer. Don't make that too challenging.
:40 Answer this one question, "What do you do?" Be careful, this is a minefield disguised as your unique selling proposition. Why? Because if you answer too glibly, you'll lose credibility; if you answer to slickly, they'll think you're trying too hard; and if you answer too dryly, worst yet, no one will remember. When this is asked of you, rephrase it in your head to: "What do you do that makes my life a whole lot better?" You'll answer more succinctly and invite a follow up question... and getting a real conversation going is the best brand builder of all.
:60 Now you're brand is off to a powerful start!
:20 Pick a domain name that can be understood quickly. Skip the dashes, try to be short and sweet, but if you can't, it's OK to be long... as long as it's simple to type in (i.e: Milwaukeesbestmarketer.com). The real trick for most small businesses is that you simply need to get your web address or e-mail address from your business card to your prospect's computer. Don't make that too challenging.
:40 Answer this one question, "What do you do?" Be careful, this is a minefield disguised as your unique selling proposition. Why? Because if you answer too glibly, you'll lose credibility; if you answer to slickly, they'll think you're trying too hard; and if you answer too dryly, worst yet, no one will remember. When this is asked of you, rephrase it in your head to: "What do you do that makes my life a whole lot better?" You'll answer more succinctly and invite a follow up question... and getting a real conversation going is the best brand builder of all.
:60 Now you're brand is off to a powerful start!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Fishing for Social Objects
One of America's leading interactive agencies, Razorfish, publishes an annual digital outlook report. Feel free to read the 2009 Report (http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com/razorfish-digital-outlook-report-09/), but in case you don't have the time to rifle through almost 200 pages of marketer-speak, let me point out one key point that really has relevance to small and mid sized businesses: the use of social objects.
"Social Objects" is a way of describing a new way of bringing a connecting tool to your marketing campaigns. People tend to talk to one-another in reference to something else. Something they saw, heard or something yet to come. These conversations are exactly where any advertiser would love to be, however, the trick is creating something promoting your business worth talking about.
Building loyal customers is still the same as it ever was - delivering a great experience with your products or services. It's just that many of the tools we use today have changed. We may not pass product endorsements over a picket fence anymore, but we certainly have customers spreading the news via texting, Facebook and Twitter. You may think your firm is too old fashioned, too conservative or too local to be affected by these new global tools... to that I say for certain, "You will be, if you aren't already."
Razorfish gave an example of an event they helped one of their clients with regarding the sponsorship of an upcoming concert. Clues to who was invited, how tickets could be garnered via GPS coordinates, even to which mystery entertainers would perform, were all used to virally help generate a buzz factor worth the investment in the event.
You may not be putting on a rock concert, but what about your own open house or a trade show event? Most simply dump info out to customers and presume that they will show, only to find low turn-out and a lackluster day. Providing a "social object" -- understanding what you want your participants to take away from you -- now becomes hugely critical. Prior to your event, you might set up e-mail and direct mail teasers that hint of what's to come. Maybe it's a simple promotional handout (like iTunes cards, or lottery tickets or even specialized samples of your products) that leave your guests with more to share than when they first arrived. The point is, far too often we simply let marketing opportunities fall flat by not realizing that whenever we have a place where people gather, we have the right to interject that time with an experience worthy of our very best customer's time.
Seize that social opportunity by finding a "social object" and promoting it vigorously. Your brand will be better for the effort.
"Social Objects" is a way of describing a new way of bringing a connecting tool to your marketing campaigns. People tend to talk to one-another in reference to something else. Something they saw, heard or something yet to come. These conversations are exactly where any advertiser would love to be, however, the trick is creating something promoting your business worth talking about.
Building loyal customers is still the same as it ever was - delivering a great experience with your products or services. It's just that many of the tools we use today have changed. We may not pass product endorsements over a picket fence anymore, but we certainly have customers spreading the news via texting, Facebook and Twitter. You may think your firm is too old fashioned, too conservative or too local to be affected by these new global tools... to that I say for certain, "You will be, if you aren't already."
Razorfish gave an example of an event they helped one of their clients with regarding the sponsorship of an upcoming concert. Clues to who was invited, how tickets could be garnered via GPS coordinates, even to which mystery entertainers would perform, were all used to virally help generate a buzz factor worth the investment in the event.
You may not be putting on a rock concert, but what about your own open house or a trade show event? Most simply dump info out to customers and presume that they will show, only to find low turn-out and a lackluster day. Providing a "social object" -- understanding what you want your participants to take away from you -- now becomes hugely critical. Prior to your event, you might set up e-mail and direct mail teasers that hint of what's to come. Maybe it's a simple promotional handout (like iTunes cards, or lottery tickets or even specialized samples of your products) that leave your guests with more to share than when they first arrived. The point is, far too often we simply let marketing opportunities fall flat by not realizing that whenever we have a place where people gather, we have the right to interject that time with an experience worthy of our very best customer's time.
Seize that social opportunity by finding a "social object" and promoting it vigorously. Your brand will be better for the effort.
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