Twitterriffic?

10,000 followers and growing!

OK, so what can I say, I've been trying to figure out Twitter (for business) for a few months now. Of course, you're familiar with Twitter. Who isn't? But most folks get up and running, then peter out and fall off the Twittersphere. Those that remain are a mix between celebrities (and their ghost tweeters), spammers, get-rich-quick-by-being-an-affiliate Tweeters, groupies, gamers, and average everyday Joes.

Let's break them down and determine just who they are and whether or not there's any benefit to the medium.

Celebs: Personalities who most of us recognize, from actors and athletes to business gurus and reality TV divas. It's possible to attain a certain B-status celebrity by obtaining 100,000+ followers (to which we'll address below). Ashton Kutcher may be most famous of the actual celebs, making the cover of Fast Company because of his 3,000,000+ followers.

Spammers: The bain of Twitter and one of the key reasons that folks dump the whole lot. Just inundations of product come-ons sent out by automated programs with the hope of clicks by the shear volume of their Tweets. Percentage of success is low and the builds exactly -1,352 points on the Goodwill meter.

Affiliate Tweeters: These are the folks who tempt you with Tiny URLs affiliate links that are "sure to earn you over $3000/mo." Too bad almost none of them are actually succeeding at this. Lots of ways to make a buck out there - but the truth is... there's no such thing as a free lunch. Oh, we click the link from time to time, but we seldom buy the $79 e-book and revolutionary system it describes. Maybe we should? Maybe I would be an instant millionaire, as well?

Groupies: Those that profess that they are the real Tweeters because they only have a few followers and friends. You can't get in their group unless you truly know the person. What a concept... a real conversation amongst equals. Great for closed networks of folks who find Twitter to be their cell phone tool preference, but that's not most of us. And, these people never get insight from outside sources. Good if you work for ESPN, maybe not so good if you're actually looking for traffic to your post.

Gamers: As alluded to in "celebs", gamers are those everyday folks who have amassed 50,000 to 100,000 or more followers. Twitter is game to see who can get the most followers. The process isn't unlike any good Arcade gamer. You just keep putting in your time on the machine until you can post your 3 letter acronym for all to see. The difference between Celebs and Gamers is in how many friends they follow. Celebs follow under 1,000, Gamers will have an amount equal to their followers.

Average Joes: That's the rest of us, trying to figure out if we should use this medium or not and if 140 characters is helping or hurting our ability to communicate and make further connections.

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Want to benefit from my 10,000 clicks? Do not try unless you are game...

Here's what you should do in "3-steps" to improve your chances:
1. Use Twitter to grow connections to the world and improve the likelihood for various folks to get to your web page, blog or transactional tool. Understand, they're not going to come by the truckload... just a small trickle to start. But, like any little snowball, it gets bigger and easier the larger and longer it rolls down the mountain. The question is, how high is the mountain? (see point 3 - but do not skip point 2).

2. Understand who you are and what you are "selling". Your website or blog or end destination for those that will follow you needs to be clear in your mind - so that you can articulate what benefit you bring to anyone who will listen. Too many of us sort of skimp on this part. Frankly, it's the most important part of the equation. You don't have to be handsome or pretty, thin or even rich. You just need to be genuine and smart about one particular topic that you have mastery of. (I suspect there is something you master - a hobby, a skill, TV show trivia perhaps?) Whatever it is, there are others in this world who share your love, but not necessarily your particular talents. That's what you're selling.

3. Get the traffic by becoming a Gamer to start. Not completely, mind you, always put out good content. Don't worry about directing too much traffic back to your site. Maybe 1 in 4 Tweets. The rest are to show that you really do know something or can at least spot something worth sharing on the Net. What you need to do is click and click and click on "following" and "unfollowing" to acquire 10,000 followers. That's how high the mountain is. Once there, your snowball is ready to move down hill. From there, you can continue your Gamer status, or you could begin to develop a Groupie mentality - cultivating your group into like minded folks who share your passion. Let's put it this way: if you could have only 1,000 "devoted" fans, you can make a healthy living for the rest of your life!

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There are a whole host of strategies to generate web traffic, but for $0, this is one that anyone can do. Keep Twitter in your Social Media package? Yup... but you may wish to work on Point No.2 pretty hard. Becoming unique in this world is available to anyone. There are lots of mountains and hills to "plant your flag". Most of us never do because we are afraid to get knocked off. Some will try, but hey, that's the difference between winning and losing...

Besides, you said you were game!

Become a follower of JacksonSpencer and we'll follow you back! 

* Special promo for reading this: link to our fan page on Facebook and you could win a new Flip camera.

** Super secret promo for reading this: connect to my LinkedIn page (and join the Big Ideas Group) and I'll see that you get a free customized Twitter background like the one I use. (that's a $79 value - I just made that up, but you be the judge!)

Are you Summa Cum Laude at Brand U?

Personal branding done right... but what's the tuition? What are the pre-requisite courses? And, how do you get a diploma from Brand U?

What we're really talking about is taking ownership of a brand that suits you. Everyone of us is a "brand" - a collection of traits, benefits and skills that can be translated into positive or negative feelings about who we are, what we do and how people interact with us and the things that we do. By borrowing from time-tested marketing principles that the dominant products of our generation use (i.e. McDonalds, Coca-cola & Nike), we, too, can move up the charts, gain marketshare, increase our chances of making the sale or even getting a date for Saturday night.

All of that in one blog post? Well... no. (You'll need to stick around longer for that, but this ought to get you started) Here's your Brand U course curriculum:

Self-awareness 101: In this course, you'll discover who you really are, what your likes and dislikes are and how to properly assess where your first step on the road to happiness lies — as well as a dynamic path to your own success.

World-awareness 201: This is the advanced course that gets you to understand how others perceive you. It's blatantly honest and can be pretty rough on our students to pass the class. But once done, you'll stay more focused on what's really important.

Branding 105: Understanding how icons, symbols and text can be cultivated to create "trigger" opportunities between you and your universe.

Iconic History 210: Looking back at the brands and personalities who have succeeded in capturing a space in our brain. Our instructors ask, "If it can work for them, what is it that you can adapt to your own personality?"

Brand Theory 300: This upper level course challenges you to find a unique aspect of your psyche and make it tangible. Not for the timid, but incredibly powerful once you've mastered the art of the "Powerline".

Social Media 100: This basic course introduces students to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and a cadre of other websites that can advance your brand opportunities. You may test out to begin with the 200 course.

Social Media 200: Students have not only a grasp, but are actively using at least 3 SM tools and have already figured out how to create custom URLs within their social media pages. This class will begin to carve out a strategy that helps make the individual a thought-leader within their field.

Web Presence 995: Getting established with your own personal website will be part of the coursework, along with a nominal charge for a domain and hosting.

You'll also need to choose from a slew of electives, including, but not limited to: Salesmanship 221, Evolving Resume 145, Public Speaking 330 and Entrepreneurship 401.

When you've completed your coursework, you'll emerge an expert; a guru; a leader of your own tribe; capable of attracting and galvanizing people to your leadership. So let the hard work begin... become your own best ally in shaping the opinion that others hold for you, as well as promoting yourself to the point that your good reputation precedes you. Isn't that what's at stake? Ultimately, building a personal brand that is Summa Cum Laude is what our entire lives are all about. Why not take careful stock of your own brand now?

Enroll at Brand U!

Sign up today!

I love you, [ Client ]

Why not make this year's Valentine's Day more memorable by showing "the love" to your clientele? How many times do we miss an opportunity to do something special for our clients... just because?

Well, don't let it go unnoticed this year. And as for ideas... you can use all the tried-and-true methods from your personal life - just re-gifted as original thoughts for business!

1. Write a love letter. Start off your hand-written letter with this phrase: "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways..." And list the ways in which you are thankful for your relationship. You might find the exercise enlightening (as well as helping you regain your focus on why this particular clients makes for a good fit with your firm.)

2. Send a romantic card. Find the sappiest, drippiest Hallmark card available and send it to your client, complete with a lipstick kiss on the envelope. Memorable, cheap and good-natured fun.

3. Send flowers and chocolates. Make sure that the flowers and the chocolates are fresh. Few businesses are expecting anything on this day. Your thoughtfulness is sure to score a few points - and the gatekeepers will hold a warm spot in their hearts for you.


4. Send anything heart shaped and edible. OK, almost anything (you may want to skip the panties). Pizzas, cakes, pies and cookies can all be used quite effectively. Remember, even though it only takes a phone call to order, the effects of ordering enough for everyone at their office will make quite a nice splash, next time you walk through their hallways.

5. Buy a ring. Well, maybe not a ring per se, but why not a trophy, plaque or anything else that can be displayed in their reception area? Even if you don't have a Top Vendor Award, or a 5-Year Partnership Plaque... you do now. If it can mean something special — fantastic! And if not — fantastic! What client doesn't want to display an award that at least looks the part?

Coming up with something further for your client? Be our guest, but when it comes to this special holiday, send something off soon. The 14th is this Sunday and your best laid plans should be in their hands by Friday. It just might save you in 2010 from the slings and arrows that are par for the course in any client relationship.

— XOXOXO
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You're already a Guru

No one told you?

What I mean is that each one of us has special talents, skills or knowledge that makes us a real resource within that area of expertise. Think about it — some of us are great at woodworking, cooking or writing. Others of us may have a talent for juggling, playing chess or even skipping stones. Personally, I happen to have spent my career as a marketer... and I know a whole lot of what does and doesn't work when it comes to promoting your business or yourself.

However, you may not have known that I was a former professional football player. (It's true — I signed a contract with the Green Bay Packers as a kicker back in 1985. Alas, my kicking career ended at the end of preseason that very same year.) Even though I got cut, my skill in kicking a football was better than roughly 99.9% of the world's population!  Doesn't that qualify me as an expert?

But wait, there's more!

I am a product of the 60's & 70's TV watching. I have a lot of grey matter devoted to shows like Batman, Hogan's Heroes and Gilligan's Island. I love movies and when I was 15, went to see Star Wars 8 times when it first came out (remember kids, there was no such thing as a DVD, DVR or Hulu — once it was gone from the theater, it was gone). Quiz me about any of those things and I will give anyone a run for their money.

That means I could be the Marketing Guru, The Kicking Guru or the Gilligan Guru. Is there fame and fortune there? Quite possibly, yes. From writing books, public speaking or running a camp. But even better is establishing yourself as an expert in something that you're legitimately good at, fond of, or truly enjoy, is one of the great purposes in life.

Why not seize the moment and claim your throne?

Understand, most people never plant their flag. They're experts in hiding. Why? Timidity is no way to lead your life. Worried that you're not a "big enough" expert? Don't be. The fact that Neil Rackers of the Arizona Cardinals is a far better kicker than I doesn't hamper me from helping kids across the country kick a football better than they did before. And, when Neil missed a big kick recently in the NFL playoffs, he might have been interested in what a guy like me had to say... let's face it, I've had more experiences with missing kicks than he! :-)

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If you're interested to connect with me inside (or outside) my areas of expertise, feel free to do so:

— The Marketing Guru
— The Kicking Guru
— The Big Ideas Guru
— The Gilligan Guru

Domain Name 101

You have a business or a brand, but you don't have a good domain name. Given that there are over 114 million active sites and another 377 million deleted names already in play, it's getting harder and harder to obtain a unique name that isn't five miles long.

It seems that there's just no way to get a decent domain name.

There's more myth in that one might think. Sure, every 4-letter combination of characters has been snatched up. (Try it - type in any combination of four characters and it will most likely take you to a site or a site holder page.) Understand, like playing the lottery, once you go beyond four, however, the combinations jump exponentially... meaning — there are still a lot of available names out there.

Here's how to craft your great domain:
Sor purposes of this blog, I presume you're already locked in to your company or brand name - so don't complicate things - just use the name of your business. It's how people know you. All that you're after is to place your existing business on the Internet map of your prospects and customers. If you're "Doug's Donuts" or "Acme Services, Inc.", search for those domains directly. You're not after a "Google" or "Flickr" kind of name (Go to Step 3, if you really are).

The problem, of course, is that your brand name may already be taken.

Step 1) Start by looking for your name.
Always start by trying to get exactly what you want - keeping the character count as low as possible without sacrificing clarity.If people know you, your company or your brand products or services, give them what they already know.

NOTE No.1: There are many domain companies, like Network Solutions, 1and1 and GoDaddy, but my favorite is Domain.com. I recommend them highly. Signing up with them is free; they're easy to work with; you can search in bulk for names and they have all the tools (hosting, web templates and such) that can take you from start to finish on the web for a very affordable price.

WARNING No.1: There are real concerns over some domain registries "poaching" names. I often check on the availability of domain names on behalf of my clients (yet often I have to wait for client approval before I can purchase the new domain). 9x... NINE TIMES, I have had available domains stolen from me just hours after I had searched for them. At first I thought it was pure coincidence, but when I searched WhoIs? for the purchaser, I found it newly owned by the very same registrar I had used! It's like going to the store - picking something out to put on layaway, but by the time you're to the back of the store to pay for it, the clerk is wearing your new shirt! I'm happy to report that I have not had this problem with Domain.com in three years working with them.

NOTE No.2: BTW, you're looking for a .com name.
The day is coming when other suffixes will be acceptable, but to be taken seriously (and perception is key out of the gates), you need a .com domain unless you're a non-profit or group, in which case .org may be just fine. Don't fall for .net. It makes you less credible to your new prospects - avoid it.

Step 1.5) Sorry for the interruption...
Where was I? Yes, start by choosing clarity. Your own brand name. "Dougsdonuts.com" would be a great name. "Acmeservices.com" or "Acmeservicesinc.com" are both strong names and easy to remember. When in doubt, use real words and avoid hyphens. How do you describe a hyphen to a prospect? "Dougs [dash] donuts.com"? It's not pretty.

Step 2) My name's too long and has unusable characters, what do I do?
What if you're "Tallahassee Industrial Power & Equipment"? "Tallahasseeindustrialpowerandequipment.com" is a mouthful and doesn't even fit on your business card. Oh, and what to do about that ampersand? ("Tallahasseeindustrialpower-n-equipment.com? Hopefully not.) This might be a case to try for an acronym like TIPE.com, but guess what... that's four letters.

Try again, with the key words. Typically, the first two words that people remember: "Tallahasseeindustrial.com" or "Tallahasseepower.com" You may need to do a little research to find out what your customers call you. Can the name be shortened? "Tallindustrial.com" seems a bit awkward, while "Tallapower.com" is catchy.

NOTE No.3: Why not buy the taken name?
Yes, you can try to buy it from the owner (check out WhoIs?), but don't do it unless you are expecting to go National and have the VC money lined up.

Try asking this instead: what's the benefit of your product? What's your tagline? Can that answer become the domain? You might be surprised to learn that "tastesgreat.com", "justdoit.com" or "imlovinit.com" are not owned by the corporate giants who use(d) these phrases. This means that yours may be available! You can see the obvious benefit of having that phrase be your domain instead of the corporate name.  What's more, your tagline finally gets to go to work for a change! One of the best examples of this is for a regional insurance company called West Bend Insurance here in Wisconsin. Their domain? "thesilverlining.com" - brilliant.

Step 3) But I want some pizazz!
If your gut is telling you that your brand domain is a yawn, I have a trick for you. But, remember, you're only looking for the domain name to make it back to your prospect's computer. Can they remember it? Can they type it in correctly? You may not need a jazzy name.I hate to see real equity thrown out the door.

But, if you still want one, understand you may be talking about changing the brand name altogether. Having your domain name be identical to your brand name has huge advantages over time. Consider this carefully.

If you're game, here's one way of how to make the attempt: list out the attributes of your firm, your brand, your products. Single words that have some relevance. How it looks, feels, tastes, its benefits, affordability and so forth. Highlight the words that either have the most power or resonance to them, or those that seem to roll off the tongue. Mix 'em and match 'em. How do you think "MicroSoft" or "GreenPeace" were born? This can be an effective way of finding something entirely new and memorable.

WARNING No.2: Certain words are close to extinction.
Almost anything with "soft" or "green" or "micro" has been taken. "ChartreuseSoft.com", however, is still available.

For help beyond what you can muster with this help... friend or tweet Mike Farley at JacksonSpencer and Become a Fan of JacksonSpencer on Facebook. If you like what you read here, FOLLOW this blog or jump over and join the Big Ideas Group on LinkedIn for more great small business insight. It's well worth the FREE pricetag! 

All the best — Mike Farley

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Becoming Iconic

Personal branding is one thing, but becoming an icon, well, that's for someone else.

Or is it?

On the WebDesignerDepot website is a curious list of the 100 most iconic people of all time. That's a list with personalities like Winston Churchill, Muhammad Ali and Jesus Christ. A pretty weighty list to be sure. But one thing struck me as I scrolled down the list to see who they had selected for their list... almost ALL of them could be identified by a visual characteristic - the very core of any good brand identity.

It's not that you have to be beautiful - you just have to work with what you've got.

Let me run down the list a bit, and you identify a brand image... if I said Albert Einstein, you'd say the big mustache and the crazy white hair. Try some others:

Woody Allen
Louie Armstrong
Ludwig van Beethoven
Napoleon Bonaparte'
Bono
Curt Cobain
Fidel Castro
Charlie Chaplin

I didn't even get to Salvadore Dali yet!

Woody Allen (glasses)
Louie Armstrong (giant smile)
Ludwig van Beethoven (brooding looks and wild hair)
Napoleon Bonaparte' (short stature and the hand in his coat)
Bono (tinted glasses and trademark scruff)
Curt Cobain (unkempt hair)
Fidel Castro (military hat, cigar & beard)
Charlie Chaplin (derby, mustache and walking cane)

What's the point?

If you consciously make the choice to focus on a part of your physical feature, your sense of style or anything else that sets you apart, people will remember. Like a brand that selects a specific color, type font or celebrity endorser - over time, that feature will stick in the minds of those who come in contact with you. "Top of mind awareness." Isn't that the old school slogan? It may be old school, but it works. For personal branding, nothing gets more personal - but few things are as difficult for us to do, than to focus so much of our attention to a single positive and impressionable feature we possess.

Perception Over Reality

Early in my marketing career, the hottest ad agency in the world was in my own back yard — Fallon McElligott & Rice. Today, Fallon is one of the world's leading agencies, doing ads for some of the very biggest and best known brands in the world. Yet, when they first started out in Minneapolis, they were but three people meeting over the lunch hour. They simply decided to do things a bit differently, and with hard work, and some very clever headlines, were able to radically change how ad agencies put themselves on the map.

The "real" FMR story...

Account executive Pat Fallon knew that Tom McElligott, a copywriter, and Nancy Rice, an art director, had the talent, energy and drive to succeed, but none of them had any recognition. So he took the simple assignments from low budget client's and parlayed them into a series of ads run in all the usual places (bus stops, billboards, weekly shoppers, newspapers, local TV and more). They practically invented the punny headline which caught the eyes of customers AND some local businesses, as well. In short order, they had banded together a nice regional collection of brands to work for.

But here's where Pat's marketing savvy took over. One of the key awards shows of the day was the One Show in New York. It's open to any agency that wishes to submit work (along with a check of $100 for each entry). Entries into exciting categories like BEST REGIONAL BLACK & WHITE NEWSPAPER AD, and BEST :60 SECOND PSA TV SPOT. Madison Avenue agencies typically walked away, coveting the 3-5 golden and silver pencils that they had won from the juried competition; on a great day, maybe a baker's dozen.

Fallon thought they might be able to win some trophies, too, proving that their brand of "creative" was as good as any in the country. Just think, a little shop from the Twin Cities mentioned in the same breath as venerable shops like J.Walter Thompson, Oglivy & Mather, BBDO and Saatchi & Saatchi. Pat Fallon's plan was audacious, yet oh, so simple. If their clever headline really was clever, the judges would have to award it, but if you entered the same ad in multiple categories - wouldn't the judges have to award it in each and every one, too? Fallon ponied up close to $10,000 in entry fees.

The result?

FMR took home close to 80 pencils in one awards show (and parlayed those wins in other national and international competitions). The nearest competitor's tally was 15! As you can imagine, the new talk of the town was the "hot" shop from the Midwest. Fallon never looked back and now operates around the globe with over a billion dollars in business. They had officially become an "expert" in creative advertising on the backs of "exciting" brands like the Episcopal Church and Hush Puppies shoes.

What has this to do with your brand?

Fallon knew it had the talent, just not the PR to match. Generating a buzz for the very topic you wish to be an expert in should become your primary mission this year. Fallon wanted to wear the Creative Crown. The only way to "prove" that was to win an award show that had everything to do with creativity - what's more, it was juried by the "best in the business". If the judges liked it, EVERYONE had to like it. It was a risk, but they outsmarted the game - in effect, the risk they took was an "expert" one. So, where can you effectively place yourself or your products so that the outcome is proof of your own superiority? Consider how you might handle these areas differently this year:

• Doing something dramatic at a trade show
• Organizing something that gets local TV coverage
• Owning an issue in your industry to get write ups in the important publications
• Finding the blogs read by influencers and contributing to them
• "Piggy-back" the endorsement from an industry celebrity or expert
• Establish a professional image via web beyond anyone else in your field

The point is, there are a number of options from which you might find some traction. Rack your brain to determine who might be willing to assist or how you might generate a superior perceived level of importance. If you believe in yourself and the might of your brand, regardless of whether it's achieved any status as yet, the perceptional value is more important when you first begin. Perception becomes your reality.

For Fallon, it couldn't have been clearer. Three years from inception, they landed the Rolling Stone Magazine account and crafted the now famous comparison ad campaign... FMR's public perception had finally matched their fiscal reality.

Now create your own.

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If you're interested to gain more ideas on personal branding, contact Mike Farley via: Facebook, Twitter or his website.