Category

Communications

Nov 01
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J.C. Penney Defines their Brand and How it’s Different from Kohl’s

By Communications

I caught the end of a J.C. Penney TV commercial this morning and a line stood out  . . .

Unlike other stores, J.C. Penney doesn’t make you return to save.

For regular shoppers, you know this is a direct hit on Kohl’s and Penney’s nailed it.  Kohl’s offers a program of “Kohl’s Cash” getting consumers to return to the store to spend dollars earned within a short time after their visit. Penney’s asserts in their advertising that they’re offering shoppers the savings up front, instead. Pretty savvy advertising.

It also struck me that the line is what I consider a critical element of a brand position — defining how your brand is different. It’s astounding to me how difficult this is for some brands to define. Take some time today and think about your organization and start with “Unlike other,” and see where the definition takes you. How can your company change the conversation about what you offer to your community through a strong brand statement? I’d love to see your results in the comments.

Oct 31
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Accepting the Invitation to Connect on LinkedIn

By Communications

Last week I received an invitation to connect to someone on LinkedIn. I almost dismissed it immediately because it was a name that didn’t ring a bell and it was from someone in a foreign country. I’m pretty thoughtful about who I connect with on LinkedIn. I have to have had some working relationship with you and to have some context for how we’ve connected in the first place for me to want to link our social networks together.

I noticed, for the first time, although I’m sure it’s always been this way, the message that LinkedIn includes with the invitation to connect:

WHY MIGHT CONNECTING WITH MARIJEAN JAGGERS*  BE A GOOD IDEA?

Marijean Jaggers’s connections could be useful to you

After accepting Marijean Jaggers’s invitation, check Marijean Jaggers’s connections to see who else you may know and who you might want an introduction to. Building these connections can create opportunities in the future.

*I substituted my own name in here; you don’t need to know the name of this connection.

This morning I returned to the invitation and looked at the profile of the individual that sent the invitation and indeed, this is a person with whom I’d done business some time ago, on behalf of a client in another country. I was delighted to reconnect.

In another example, a college friend passed away a couple of weeks ago, leading to all sorts of college connections resurfacing on Facebook. One friend request came and I didn’t know the name at all; turns out a friend had changed her name — first and last — and so threw me completely. She sent me a note explaining who she was; I was grateful for the context and accepted her invitation.

It’s important to provide context with these invitations. We meet so many people in our lives and we cannot expect to remember them all or to keep apprised of name changes and such. When you’re sending an invitation to someone, keep that in mind, and give them the courtesy of a short note to remind them of how you know one another.

 

Oct 28
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Branding: Bears, Beets, Battlestar Galactica

By Communications

Let’s just get this out of the way, first: I have a dog named after a Battlestar Galactica character. A bit of nerdishness exists on my turf. We’re not as bad as Dwight Schrute, however, who, as a fictional character, has a personal brand that is easy to define.

Dwight’s topics are, pretty consistently, bears, beets and Battlestar Galactica.

 

If someone were to imitate you, what three topics would they identify as “you” and your personal brand?

If you don’t know, or you aren’t sure, you might want to ask the guy at the next desk — I bet he knows.

Oct 26
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12 Things to Do On LinkedIn Today, Instead of Sitting around Picking Your Nose

By Communications, Social Media

If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I hate nose-pickers. If I see someone picking their nose in public, I will tweet about it, tell you where I am and what this person looks like. I am the Nose Picking Police. I don’t know why nose picking is so popular, but it clearly is. By the way; note to nose picking drivers everywhere — WE CAN SEE YOU. Here are 12 things to do today to further your career and improve your online profile using LinkedIn, instead of sitting around picking your nose.

  1. Upload your e-mail contacts from all sources.
  2. Get your profile to 100% by completing all of your information and adding a photo (of your face . . . and a recent shot.)
  3. Develop a keyword-rich professional headline — the headline is NOT your title but should be searchable phrases to attract people to you.
  4. Rename the default Website and Blog settings to personalized names including the name of your company and what it is that you do.
  5. Add your Twitter account and the Tweets application — follow your connections on Twitter.
  6. Write a recommendation for a colleague, partner or friend (and hope they return the favor).
  7. Google thyself — do you like what you see when your LinkedIn profile shows up in Google results?
  8. Delete connections you’ve accepted that are with people with whom you don’t truly have a business relationship.
  9. Add your skills to your profile.
  10. Join a group that interests you.
  11. Manage how often you get updates or notifications (I have it set up so I don’t get ANY notifications — preferring to log in to the site and see what’s new there.)
  12. Write updates regularly, sharing articles of interest, blog posts and upcoming events.

Look out nose pickers — I’m watching you.

More helpful LinkedIn advice.

 

Oct 24
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Zombies and Marketing: How to Make Use of the Walking Dead to Boost Business

By Communications, Media

Zombies are hot. Vampires and werewolves are yesterday’s news. If you’re a marketer, or own a consumer business, you may not be giving a lot of thought to zombies.

Photo credit: Yahoo advertising blog

THIS MAY BE A HUGE MISTAKE.

Westlake Ace Hardware stores in Omaha has brilliantly optioned zombies to help boost sales, offering a Zombie Preparedness Center.

The Centers for Disease Control, let’s face it — not an organization known for its sense of humor — has formed a Zombie Task Force, as a vehicle for education on crisis response and preparedness as well as bioterrorism.

Danger. Zombies. Run! Is a 5K event taking place in Charlottesville (and other versions of it happen in cities all over the country) mixing the zombie craze with fitness. Not to be outdone, our local ice park is hosting Danger. Zombies. On Ice. 

Could you be using zombies in your marketing efforts? How? Here are some ideas:

  • Create a news release announcing your preparedness plan for the zombie apocalypse;
  • Design a service for zombies-only (dry cleaners? hair salons?) and announce special offers for the undead;
  • Own a shoe store? What are the best shoes to outrun a zombie in? Or, if you’re a member of the walking dead, what shoes will hold up to your tireless trudging in search of people to eat?
  • If you have a restaurant, consider a special zombie menu featuring brains; and
  • Hire a few zombies to entertain customers (or scare them to death) —  not recommended if your customers are primarily children.

Don’t wait — the zombie timeline runs from now till Halloween, otherwise the trend may be, well, dead.