Personal Branding is Vital Now

Photo by David Rotimi on Unsplash

Personal branding is something I've thought a lot about for years. Branding is about a business, product, or service. Personal branding is about helping the person behind the product to stand out. It's a way to drive a strong perception of the type of person you are and by extension, to earn a little credibility in the process. The goal is for people to see themselves and see you in the product or service you're selling.

Brand Yourself But With Your Buyer In Mind

The weird yo yo trick of personal branding is that the best people in the world at personal branding are the ones who make YOU feel like the star. This work isn't about saying how great you are. It's talking about how wonderful the people you serve are, but in such a way that people think about you.

In brand positioning terms, you're a service brand or a community brand or a lifestyle brand (or all 3). Katie Robbert and Kerry O'Shea Gorgone created Punch Out as that place you go to learn about the rest of the lives of your favorite marketers. Their personal brand thusly becomes about being generous, lifting up others, enriching the brand promise of other people. They act as a community brand.

Tone of Voice is Critical

I built my own strong brand identity around a few bedrock details. These translate into the "tone of voice" of my brand. See if this sounds like me:

• My personal visual brand is casual, cartoonish, and almost a bit sloppy
• My core values are service, honesty, and inclusiveness
• The branding concept of me is "anyone could do this - YOU could do this"
• An emotional connection is core to all the material I share with people
• The only "consistent brand experience" you'll find with me is that I'm always experimenting

To shape your brand is to demonstrate what you stand for and for it to be a recurring part of your expressions. If you're frugal, don't show off your matching Teslas. If you're trying to say you're down to earth and spontaneous, don't be buttoned up all the time.

Think through this:

• What does your word choice say about your brand? Are you using big words when your brand is supposed to be down to earth?
• Even if you're shy, you need to show yourself. Can you dress in a way that matches what you believe and how you want to be perceived?
• Beyond selling (but also during selling) what do you talk about? What do you share? Does it match what you want people to think about you?

"Influencers" are the Devil

Before we had people trying to be "influencers," we had people trying to be "authentic." (After I typed that, I took my hands off the keys to accentuate air quotes - two pumps of my fingers each - because that word is Satan.)

The ways that people try to walk around and represent your brand are almost always about positioning and telling a story that isn't true. If you normally eat hot dogs, you're not a foodie. If you're ever trying to be something you're not, and it's part of a business pursuit, I'll save you time: it rarely ends well.

Communicate Your Brand

Ze Frank once said "a brand is an emotional aftertaste" that comes from experiences. You know "show, don't tell." That's the point. The more you talk about what you are, the less likely you are that thing. So show it.

Establish brand experiences by talking about the kinds of people you serve in terms that echo your intended brand voice. "We're moms who love to help teachers get time back in their day. We know you're busy! Let us help you get better results with your students. Your students are our kids. Let's be on the same team!"

"You have smarts that someone else needs. Sell your brains."

The best personal branding revolves around "you" stories (the kind that enrich your buyer) but that reflect your part of that equation.

How to Build Your Personal Brand

For your brand to thrive, you need the following:

• Clear and unique voice and perspective as it relates to the people you serve
• Consistent publication of media that reflects that voice
• A recurring delivery of value from the media you create and share

Think about that before your next Instagram post. "Am I saying something in my own way or am I someone else's echo?" If someone else reads this, is there a chance they'll take something from it?

"But can I build a brand and stay anonymous?"

I mean, you can build *a* brand, but it's not a personal brand. The word personal and the word anonymous really don't mean the same thing whatsoever.

What people want from you as it applies to personal branding is the following:

• Are you like me?
• Do you share my values?
• Can I trust you?
• Will you help me win?
• What happens when something goes wrong?

Think about your own experiences. When your car needs engine work, do you wonder about those five questions? The last three are definite. The first two might depend on what you're buying for some people. I want someone to be honest like me, obviously. I want them to be understanding.

The last and maybe most important step about personal branding is perhaps the hardest.

Can You Be "Sticky?"

The most powerful part of branding is whether what you create is memorable. Advertising is a powerful tool when it comes to this. Think of all the ads you remember to this day:

• Who is the "quicker picker upper?"
• Plop plop. Fizz Fizz. _______
• The best part of waking up is _____

Advertising works through a combination of something being memorable to begin with and then being repeated enough that you can't forget it. That's an element of personal branding that gets lost often.

The key to being sticky, then, is a formula. An equation maybe. Luckily, Julien Smith and I wrote The Impact Equation for just this purpose. I'll give you the quick rundown here:

Impact = Contrast x Reach + Exposure + Articulation + Trust + Echo.

• Contrast - Does what you say or do stand out
• Reach - How far does your message carry
• Exposure - How often do people see it
• Articulation - Can you say it succinctly
• Trust - Are you believable
• Echo - Can people see themselves in you

That's the impact equation and it really means a lot for the personal branding effort. More than most anything else I've written thus far. If you master that little gauge: CREATE, you will see the value of putting your marketing and outreach efforts through that lens before publishing.

Beyond saying something useful, you have to say it in a memorable way. That's the gold.

Brand Management for Personal Brands

I don't know if this is "management" per se, but what I mean is that it's upon you to create information frequently and share it often, information that serves their pursuits. "They" being the people you serve, naturally. The management aspect of personal branding is that it's so easy to fall out of being top of mind. What stops that from happening?

Reach + Exposure from the Impact Equation help. Take your Articulate and sticky phrases and share them often and far and wide, especially if they help others. Do this often. Do this in new ways with new words. Don't let anything get too old, but say things repeatably enough that others can sing along. Write the hits. Play the hits.

And now you're well on your way to mastering personal branding. It takes work, practice, and all the luck of saying something that catches the attention and imagination of others. I hope this was useful. If it was, share it?

Finally, I'm always available to help you with this through coaching. Just use my contact form or drop me an email: chris@chrisbrogan.com

Content Marketing in 2020

Photo by Marc Fanelli-Isla on Unsplash

Content marketing gets a bad rap because a lot of it is so badly wrapped. What happens in the land of marketing and business (b2b marketing or B2C - it doesn't matter) is that someone takes a good concept and sullies it with poor execution. A strong intention becomes a watered down effort to lure people into a sales funnel with search terms. While SEO is a useful part of earning attention, it's not the soul of content marketing. Let's talk about that.

Content Marketing Strategy is About Being Helpful

Attention spans in 2020 are shot. The COVID-19 pandemic and other world events pushed us into having to consume more than our share of news. It's built an intention of shutting out too much information. But what types of content earn attention? Helpful material never goes out of style.

One way to help: brevity. People want the payload, not the fluff. Whether it's business goals or personal pursuits, skip the backstory and cut out the fat.

Guide people by making all your content simple to scan, easy to read, and worth bookmarking for later. By this, I mean: use subtitles and bullets. Create transitions and straightforward messaging. Don't make people work to consume what you create.

Content Types for Context Types

Video marketing is an undeniable part of 2020's content marketing landscape. It's useful for when we feel like being nurtured, or when people's content needs also match a desire to lean back and simply absorb the material. But what if many of your target audience are in a car for long stretches (like truck drivers or suburban commuters)? Then a portion of your marketing methods would be better suited for audio. If not a full fledged podcast, then at least audio content you can invite the recipient to play while commuting. Remember that just because you might prefer text, the most effective way to reach people is the type to choose. Never let your preference guide this choice.

Use Different Types of Content But Tell the Same Story

While matching content to the customer journey, remember that it's preferable to tell your story across a variety of marketing channels. If a prospective customer is evaluating your product, shoot an Instagram video showing why your product is the better choice for them. Follow it with an infographic comparison chart or the like. Remember that you can get quite varied in delivery methods. Make a Slideshare of "How to Convince Your Boss to Buy Our Product for You" and arm your internal allies with what you know. But be sure that you use an editorial calendar or content calendar (however you prefer to call it) so you have an eye towards optimizing earned attention.

Perform a Content Audit

It's easy to mistake content marketing efforts and published material for being actually useful. But there's so much at stake. All content is a reflection of your branding. If the content marketing your organization creates doesn't serve both the consumer of that material and the sales team, it's not content marketing. It's just content.

A content audit investigates whether your organization's marketing strategy and tactics align with its business objectives. If funny dance videos don't make the phones ring, then who cares? But at the same time, if your company still pushes bland white papers circa 2000 because you're "doing b2b marketing," then you're missing far too many opportunities. There are so many ways to reach more people and earn more customers. But it takes effort and it can't be phoned in. It's 2020. Let's get you ready for the years ahead.

May I Help?

I offer consultation around business strategy and marketing as it applies to content marketing and much more. I'm quite available to help, should you want to talk that over and see how I can get your company's content marketing to serve you better. Just drop me a line via this contact form and I'll get right back to you. Or email me directly: chris@chrisbrogan.com . Either way. I'm here to help.

Business Storytelling

Photo by Almos Bechtold on Unsplash

Business storytelling is the act of using story as a way to interact with others to convey business values and/or business information. I like to say that "story is the best unit of memory" (tweetable) and that's because the goal of business storytelling is to help information stick, both internally among various teams and leadership, as well as externally in alignment with marketing, sales, customer service, and other parts of a company.

Stories to Tell

There are three types of business stories the way I teach it:

• Mission stories - stories that help people understand and align with the mission of the organization. "We work to give every mother the tools she needs to raise compassionate athletes."
• Belonging stories - these are stories that inform people that they are in the right place, so to speak. "Moms of athletes don't always agree, but they all want their kids to have what they need to thrive."
• Growth stories - part motivational talk and part "corrective" language, this helps employees stay aligned with the mission of the organization. "While we want you to sell as many coaching packages as possible, it's important to work within the budgets and schedules of the mothers you're supporting."

One doesn't have to be any kind of master storyteller to make this happen. Remember that the definition of story is simply "an account of people an events." While I'll show you some story structure as it applies to business storytelling, essentially the spirit of your work here is to learn that a story helps people remember important information better than most any other tool.

Business Storytelling Approach

The goal of every story you tell should be to convey information in a memorable (and maybe even repeatable) way. Because these are business stories, and the goal isn't to become some kind of master storyteller of fairy tales or something, let me give you a few more details to consider:

• Clarity - Business stories must be succinct and clear. There should never be a surprise. Instead, people need their information to be straightforward and understandable.
• Brevity - The attention span of people these days is diminished from stress, from too much information, and from a shift in how we prefer to consume knowledge. Create brief stories. Snacks more than meals. And seek to be as brief as possible while staying clear.
• Metaphors - To craft a compelling story, sometimes an easy tool is a metaphor. "Life is a stream. It flows in one direction and when we step out of the water, we can never get back in at the exact same moment." That sort of thing is a metaphor.

The first two should be used all the time. The last is a tool you can use more as a condiment than a meal. (A metaphor.) "Think of metaphor as a condiment, not a meal." <-- that's a tiny business story to remind you how to use metaphors in your writing. (Not much in the "account of people and events" department, but we'll stretch the definition a little.)

Content Marketing Thrives on Compelling Stories

I'm working on a project with my friend Saul Colt. The goal is to help physical stores and galleries all across Canada to build online storefronts to enable these organizations to sell online. While brainstorming ways to earn more sign-ups for this project, I came up with two different ideas (stories) that complement the project and can be told as content marketing (in this case, on Instagram).

The project is called "shopHERE powered by Google" and because I want to encourage more people to sign up, I proposed storytelling elements that are a play on "shop here." The first is built around regional business pride and uses the hashtag #myshopishere . The second is about women-run businesses and the uses the hashtag #shopHER (minus the e. Get it?) They're meant to be quite relatable (as good stories are).

If I didn't tell you much else about the campaign, can you imagine the kinds of photos people will take for 'My shop is here?' Pizza places. A favorite nail salon. Maybe a cool pawn shop would be part of it. And of course 'Shop her' is about empowering women owners, like an auto body shop, and an MMA gym, and so on.

The projects are content marketing designed to drive awareness and signups to the shopHERE powered by Google project, but the STORIES are about regional pride and woman-owned businesses. Make sense?

Storytellers Invite Their Listeners to be the Protagonist

The power of storytelling works best when it becomes a collaboration between the creator of the story and the consumer of that material. The reader or listener or viewer best experiences compelling storytelling when they are invited to tell the story from their perspective and participate in it themselves.

Star Wars has stuck with us better than many other media properties because the stories are bigger than the main characters. Even if you don't want to be Luke or Leia, you can decide if you want to be an Imperial Tie fighter pilot or a rebel scout or someone else in the captivating stories that follow.

Story, as it turns out, works best when it is a collaboration.

In business, this can happen in branding. On the day I wrote this to you, Nike's website has a tag line that says "Where All Athletes Belong." They're pushing inclusivity and this goes beyond a marketing strategy and instead pushes deep into the fabric of their brand stories overall. It matches.

Story Structure is a Powerful Starting Point

You've watched a TED talk before, I presume. Reserved to no more than 18 minutes (there are very few exceptions to this online), presenters are trained and drilled in how to craft stories that start with cores of data visualizations or case studies and add an emotional connection to the material. Sometimes these are funny. Other times, they make us see what we thought we fully understood in a new light. And even other times, we simply enjoy the experience and go along for the ride.

The structure of TED, the little details, how it all gets wrapped together into a compelling narrative is worth understanding for your future business communications as well. I recommend Talk Like TED by Carmine Gallo, a book that is every bit as useful today as the day it was published.

How to Get Started

With business storytelling, you might be thinking: "Okay, I don't disagree with you, Chris, but I'm not sure what to do now with this information." Fair enough. I'll help.

1. Write a story of what your product/service is and who it helps. The agile user story template works well for this: As a <type of user>, I want <some goal> so that <some reason>. Being able to answer this succinctly helps you see your business more clearly.
2. Work on a few sentences around this: The type of people who buy from us are ___ . They like __ and they don't want ___ . (This is a belonging story.)
3. If you were hiring a new employee today and she will be working from home, what story does she need to know that sums up the culture of your organization? Are you sticklers for timeliness? Are you a very collaborative company? Are the rules cut and dry and there's not really a lot of flexibility? (Remember, this isn't always a bad things: franchises must follow the systems that are in place.)
4. Write a few sentences around the ideal customer experience. "If everything went flawlessly, a customer would start on our website and click here. And then..."
5. At a team meeting, host an exercise around "A meal we used to have at home." Have people write down some details or a paragraph to explain something about food that inspires at least a little emotional attachment.

End Clearly and Strong

Another detail. For whatever reason, it seems that the art of ending a story is lost on the world. The best endings point to what might come next. In many ways, the best endings are beginnings. This piece ends with me offering help, which might lead to a beginning. Your stories might end in different ways. But "stopping" and "creating an ending" are vastly different efforts and exercises. You want to end clearly. Like this.

If You Want More Help

My core business at StoryLeader™ is dedicated to improving your success with expressing yourself within (and outside of) your organization. I help you convey your intentions, clearly express your business goals and values and needs. And I'm an expert at turning that terrifying blank page into something you can run with and complete on your own with confidence. Never hesitate to drop me a line either by email (chris@chrisbrogan.com) or by just filling out my contact form.

10 Years After Trust Agents

Just about ten years ago, Julien Smith and I wrote and published a book called Trust Agents. It talked about the rising experience of companies being able to use the web to reach people directly and connect with them in a world where companies could no longer really control the information out on the web about their brand. It was a rallying cry to invite companies to be real and transparent and to connect with the people they most wanted to serve.

The book did well. It was a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller. It won awards from Inc Magazine, USA Today, 800-CEO-Read and more.

Ten years have past and I want to share what's changed in that time. (I've written some thoughts on this already at LinkedIn, if you're interested.)

Ten Years After Trust Agents

In 2009, I wrote: "Companies can no longer hide behind a veneer of a shiny branding campaign, because customers are one Google search away from the truth."

It's more true today. And people have endured ten years of feeling unseen and unheard. As companies adopted the tools (but not always the spirit) of the social web, they pushed information blindly to people without thinking much about who they were addressing. It felt the same as telling every woman at a bar that they're beautiful and hoping the line worked eventually.

In 2009, I wrote: "Trust agents have established themselves as being non-sales-oriented, non-high-pressure marketers. Instead, they are digital natives using the Web to be genuine and to humanize their business."

I would change this a bit. Sales isn't bad. Bad sales are bad. A trust agent sells you something they believe will help you win the game you're trying to win.

Make Your Own Game

The first of the six tenets of a trust agent was to make your own game. It means to define your own space. Be specific. Create the rules of the story instead of competing against other similar products. Amazing books like Play Bigger have really expanded on this in smart ways in recent years. I stand by this.

Julien wrote about how creating your own keywords was a much better way to win at SEO instead of competing with existing words. He pointed out that if you could earn enough media attention for a phrase you coined, all roads would naturally point back to your site. I've been using this trick since 2009 and if you look at the traditional SEO markers of my site, it stinks, but I have massive authority around all the terms I created for myself.

In 2019, there's something more. We are in an age of identity, where people want to be very specific about who they are, what matters to them, and they want to support only those companies that share their values. If you can buy the same kinds of products from multiple sources, why buy from a company you don't respect? Or most importantly, who doesn't see you?

We've made our own games, and we want companies to see and speak to who we are.

Companies keep saying they know what people want.

"A black guy can't do a country song." On the day I'm writing this, "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X is on its 11th week at number 1 on the Billboard Top 100.

"No one will want to see a black-led superhero movie." - Black Panther made $1.3 billion at the box office.

"Women superheroes won't bring in movie viewers." - Wonder Woman made $800 million; Captain Marvel made $1.1 billion.

Inclusivity matters. Seeing people for who they are matters. REPRESENTING THEM IN MEDIA AND MARKETING AND YOUR BUSINESS PLANS matters.

One of Us

This chapter pointed out the importance of connecting beyond advertising. Not that ads are bad. They're just one tool.

In 2009, I wrote: "Gaining the trust of another requires you be competent and reliable. It also requires you to leave someone with a positive emotional impression, which is something the Web has the potential to do quickly and well."

We included our first of many references to the work of David Maister and Charles Green who wrote the amazing work, The Trusted Advisor. Julien was already friends with Maister, but we befriended both authors, and I still talk to Charlie Green about once a month to learn at the feet of a master.

Of all the chapters in Trust Agents, this is the one I feel companies discarded. I think very few marketing departments held conversations about the trust equation (even though Maister and Green helped companies make millions on this detail alone). And I know that very few companies set about trying to humanize their brands to reach people.

The Archimedes Effect

I've always called this "Julien's Chapter" because he had a much stronger bead on what was going on here. Leverage was the topic. How do we understand leverage? What are the ways we can use arbitrage to our advantage. It's still heady stuff, but if people spent a little time investing in this chapter, they often reported some great results.

The parts I contributed were about leveraging time better, about building stronger relationships, about making the most of your appearances.

One fun detail about this chapter is that I cover the first inklings of the rise of Gary Vaynerchuk, when we all started to realize that this guy was going to fly to the stars and back. It's laughable now that I covered him in the book because he was already on the way to being a massive star.

Agent Zero

I believe with all my heart that nurturing a network of great people you want to serve is the absolute most important work of a person or a company. To be the connector that helps others thrive is a powerful business driver, even if it isn't an instant kind of reward. (It never is.)

This talks through the concept of having to become more visible. To put your presence out there on the web. To be seen on the social networks.

Over the years, companies seem to only put their CEO, CMO, and a few very junior people out on the social web. They never did quite adopt the belief that having people reachable via the social web was a benefit to the company. And frankly, many people were afraid of this kind of visibility. These tools seem foreign. Interactions on places like Twitter feel fraught with peril. And so many brilliant people worry that they'll "do it wrong" or "look foolish" and so their brilliance is withheld from the many who would benefit from this.

The people within companies who work on "Agent Zero" type work see great rewards. Sales professionals get it. Deal makers get it. But I wish more of the folks who have non-selling jobs but massive amounts of helpful ideas and thoughts would come out and play on the web.

Human Artist

I might have said that no one cared to do the "One of Us" work. Human artist is married to that. It was our effort to point out that the Golden Rule was alive and well. So many great works focus on this. Bob Burg's Go-Giver comes right to mind. Same-Side Selling by Altman and Quarles. Many more. Tim Sanders and Love is the Killer App.

We wrote about transparency and empathy and intimacy, all topics that most every company in the world would rather pretend doesn't exist, though they'll talk about it in speeches or ads.

People are SO sick of feeling invisible, being lied to, having to "find out" that a company has done them wrong. They're so fed up, and when there's a chance to pick another company to deal with, they will.

In a 2017 study, Cone Communications found that 67% of people wanted to align with companies that shared their values, and that furthermore, most people wanted to align with companies who would move their values forward in some way.

Identity matters to individuals more than ever before. My 17 year old is both gay and trans. He spends a lot of time online finding and listening to like minds, learning how to navigate his life, and so on. He pays attention to which companies really support trans and gay causes and not just in June.

We all want people to love what we sell, but it is only when people feel seen and understood that they're ready to pay attention.

Build An Army

This chapter is about scale. How do we grow beyond where we are? How do we find more hands to lighten the load. Of all the chapters in Trust Agents, I could never have predicted the outcomes that companies have developed in this area.

Automation is nearly the norm in so many areas. Robots talking to robots. Everyone agreed that we needed scale, but sometimes to the detriment of human contact.

Don't get me wrong. There are plenty of places where automation is preferred. It's the best. I love when companies reduce friction where they can (Roger Dooley has an amazing book on Friction).

But the human touch matters. We want it more than ever. And in a world where automation is doing the lion's share of the heavy lifting, it means we have opportunities to earn more attention, retention, and stronger business relationships.

Trust Agents in 2019

I think there's a lot to update and revisit in this book. I've been talking with Julien Smith about looking this all over again. I spoke to my publishing friend Matt Holt. I've talked with all kinds of people who I've known for the last ten years or more.

Keep your eyes posted. You might see a lot more about this. And regardless, it was super fun to look back on it all.

I help companies earn the right to sell and serve the customers they most want to nurture. Connect with me, if you want some ideas and help.

Sponsored Post - Reach People with Print

The following is a sponsored post. I love working with Staples. It's important you know that my words are my own and that they pay for the opportunity to reach you, not to impact my opinions.The reason I love Staples comes from when I was younger. I used to run a greeting card business and I'd go to Staples, buy card stock, and print my designs in their Copy Center. They made my business cards. They made my little sign I needed for the one store crazy enough to let me put my cards in it. It was just easier with Staples.

Print Marketing is a Magic Trick in this Digital World

When Ken and Glen and Midori and I represented Ecamm Live at Social Media Marketing World, we had two big banner type graphics, another waist-high one, plus mountains of postcards with the software's features on it, and then some stickers. Other booths had maybe one sign, and nothing for a prospective buyer to take with them, and so they either had to sell on the spot, or lose the opportunity.I love print for that reason. I love business cards (well done ones). I love postcards. Because you get the chance to make a second impression.When I got back from my last live event, I emptied my bag and looked through the various cards I received. They prompted me to do some follow up and earned me some potential new business. No matter how much I love blogging and podcasting and email marketing, you can't beat the experience of being able to send someone on their way with a physical component to jog their memory when they're in that moment when they want to consider purchasing what you sell.

Staples Makes This Better

Staples has same day service so you can get your stuff in a hurry. This helps if, like me, you change your mind about something last minute. They also offer branding and design help, if you need something just a little more artsy than you'd normally make yourself.That's what I think is cool about Staples, though. You can buy supplies anywhere, but Staples has built their business to serve yours in as many ways as you can think up. I love that if you wanted them to cook up a logo and a design and make some fliers and cards and the like, you'd be covered.Definitely worth checking out.

And a Sweepstakes!

Staples also paid the way of one lucky winner to earn some free consulting time with me OR Rob Hatch (my business partner at Owner Media Group). If you're interested, simply go here and fill out the itty bitty form. We'll draw a person at random and you'll be on your way to even more business success.And if either Rob or I end up making you even smarter? Well, you'll have to thank Staples for that.The previous post was sponsored. Obviously, the thoughts and opinions expressed within are mine. No company could buy my opinion. Well, maybe they could, but they'd have to pay a gazillionty-seven dollars.

What Does it Take For Your Business to Stay Top of Mind?

When we're at work, we want to believe that people think about our business all day long. In our minds, we're the FIRST company a customer or prospective customer considers when a particular need arises. But you and I both know that's not how it works.

What does it take for your business to stay top of mind?

This work we're talking about is called branding. And in the old days, that would mean thinking up names and logos and colors and what have you and you'd call it good.
Kit Kat candy bar wrappers are red. They're the ones with four "fingers" of crisp wafers surrounded by chocolate. There you go. That's what they are. They compete with other candy bars by being crispy, easy to share (who shares their candy bars?), and beyond that? Who knows?
Your business isn't a candy bar (unless it is). And even if you're a candy bar, that's a massively competitive space. Anything like this: candy bars, chips, and soft drinks are seemingly easy to brand and sell, but it's actually a lot of work. (Later in the week, I'll interview Eric Plantenberg about what it took to bring Humm Kombucha not only to the average soft drink consumer but also onto the shelves of Target and Walmart. He's their chief strategy officer.)
To stay top of mind, you have to make it utterly clear what you solve for your buyer. There's an easy starter recipe to build this kind of thing. Want to hear it?

The four levers you can adjust to improve brand awareness and retention

I have four simple ways to look at helping a customer or prospective customer remember your business and your brand (no matter how big or small your copmany). Think of this as a recipe you can work with.
What's in the mix?
Goal - Any time you intend to reach out and connect or communicate in any form (advertising, bringing attention to the business, reaching out to customers, etc), be VERY aware of the goal of your customer/buyer. Why would they look for you in the first place? What's THEIR goal that you help them achieve?
Clarity - Any time you talk about your business, be clear. I help companies use tech to improve customer interactions. It's taken me ages to land on that. Clarity is about making what you solve utterly simple and straightforward. How can you make what you do for people super easy to understand and straightforward?
Simplicity - Clarity almost covers this, but sometimes you can be clear but you might get fancy. Simplicity is just that. Keep the menus brief. Make everything succinct. Don't over-extend. That sort of thing.
Repetition - Say it. Say it again. Make it tweetable. Make it rhyme, maybe. Make it stick. Repeat. This right here is my biggest miss. I tend to create and release, which lets me brag about my big brain or something, but this doesn't help STICK into people's heads the easy story of how I help people.
You can't be top of mind if you've already been forgotten.

The recipe is simple but not easy

Solve their goal. Be clear about it. Keep it simple. Repeat the story. That's really "it," but you already know there's more to "it" in the long run.
And yet, have you mastered this part about your business? Probably not. When you're not around, would someone you've spoken with know how to sell you/your product or service? Not the way you'd WANT them to, at least. Right?
If you want to stay top of mind, this is the work. Build something memorable in service of your customers' goals and you've got a chance. Make it easier for them to buy and easier for them to get what they need, and you'll stay in the story longer. But for now? Ask yourself how well you handle those four simple ingredients.
And if you need help, I'm here for you.

CBM101317

Here are the notes from the Chris Brogan Media broadcast for 10/13/17. (You can watch this on my Facebook account).This live video was all shot using Ecamm Live (client), the best way to do Facebook Live for Mac.Please note that all links may be affiliate links. If someone is a client, I'll call that out specifically.

Stories Shared

Well there you go. Bitcoin shot over $5000 yesterday. It's kind of nuts, really. Also, this.And even if you're not sold on Bitcoin, you MUST embrace Blockchain for a lot of reasons. Here's one.Branding has become interesting. Let's talk about Coach's big change with Tapestry.Related to this, there are huge WARS going on. Target and other retailers are joining Google to try and combat Amazon.And speaking of Amazon, a cute attempt by Kansas City's mayor to attract HQ2.Let's talk about the future.The US has lost more and more manufacturing jobs. But do we even want them back? (No.)The future of work will be weird. Wired says you're not ready for working with robots.But evidently it's kind. Ryan Gosling wore a vegan faux leather coat in BladeRunner 2049.The future might be scary as hell. Marvel's New Mutants trailer looks a lot more like a horror movie than a superhero movie. And why that's cool.Finally, in cosplay fun with a soul, New York Comic Con had a great panel on diversity, women of color, and other social issues. Good!Hey, if this has been interesting, consider picking up my weekly newsletter. It's all unique ideas by me about how to improve buyer interactions and grow your business. Give it a peek

What ELSE is News?

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The Future is Giants Pretending to Be Small

Anheuser Busch In-Bev is a Belgian company that owns amongst other things Budweiser. Beer drinkers fall into two categories in general: those who love Bud and Coors and all those "lite" beers, and people who like craft beers. I'll get back to that in a second. The most recent ad campaign on TV for Budweiser is pointing out as loudly as it can, "We brew this stuff in America!" The subtext: it's "local" even though a Belgian company owns it and reaps the profits. But let's go on a moment.

Anheuser Busch In-Bev Also Owns Plenty of "Craft" Beer Brands

It's funny that AB/IB (can I shrink it to that?) made fun of craft beer in 2015's Superbowl Spot:(Watch the first minute. I didn't watch the rest but there was no "official" version of the video to share with you. If you can't see a video, click click here.)They own:

• Goose Island Brewery
• Blue Point
• 10 Barrel
• Elysian Brewing Company
• Golden Road Brewing
• Four Peaks Brewery
• Breckenridge Brewery
• Devils Backbone Brewing Company
• Karbach Brewing Company
• Wicked Weed Brewing

So what gives? I'll tell you what. The world is weird about "big" things, and it's getting weirder lately.First, a quick few points about MY point of view before we go further:

1. I like and work with big companies all the time.
2. Budweiser is an OK beer. I like it well enough.
3. I'm friendly with lots of craft beer owners like Sam Calagione from Dogfish Head.
4. This isn't a blog post about beer, but it's a good starting point.
5. I believe strongly that this is an ongoing trend that will intensify in the next few years.

Especially in the land of food (and more especially "packaged foods"), people have a new agenda. They want better quality food. They want more variety (there were 15 flavors of hummus at the little Target grocery store near where I wrote this). They want more transparency in how and where their food is made. In ways, it reminds me of this scene from Portlandia:And yet, it's what people want.What we also want, we believe, is "small." We want things to feel local, to feel "authentic." To be a story we can relate to in some way. We say we don't want mega corporations, even while praising the fact I can say out loud, "Alexa, order me some more batteries" and she will have them to me in two days with zero fuss. (Note the "she" in that sentence.)

What We Might Really Want is "Personal"

Every time we say we want small and personal, a lot of times what we're really saying is that we want the brands we choose and the companies we work with to "see" us and understand us. We want something that reflects US and not just the factory rollout line.I did some work last week with ebay and it was eye opening. I'm not usually all that into branding people and branding concepts and the like, but I found myself really impressed with Marie Langhout-Franklin's work on ebay's project to be more clear on the movement that ebay powers. Their new "fill your cart with color" stuff, including this video, has a neat message I'll talk about in a second (after you watch this).Okay, so shopping is shopping in some ways. We can buy whatever from wherever. But ebay powers a few things in an interesting way:

• YOU can become a merchant.
• You can shop this year's stuff, but if you want last year's model, it's probably there, too.
• You can connect easier with the little guy while taking advantage of big guy infrastructures.

(This is semi random, but at this event, I also learned that 80% of the stuff on ebay is 100% brand new. I tend to think of ebay as "used" stuff. I was wrong.)

But see what that powers? People want personal. They want their own colors (and I mean this in the sense that if you like Japanese office supplies, you can get that there.)

Staples Makes a Big Small Move

The office store that you've come to understand as Staples has the same problem as most retailers: people just aren't walking through the door as often as they used to. But instead of complaining and instead of trusting solely in ecommerce, Staples made a move. They decided to push some emphasis towards distribution as a differentiator. They're bringing people to your office. Not just deliveries, but people to empower what they're calling your "inner pro." Here's a commercial spot:The move takes you closer to my favorite sales and marketing mantra of all time (I think I started saying this back in 2005): Make your buyer the hero.Okay, so Staples says pro. It's the same story. And it's beautiful.

We Want You To See Us

The future of giant business is using all your tools to let your buyers feel as seen and heard and loved and personally tended to as humanly possible. We want that "Norm!" greeting from Cheers! (People under 40, this was a TV show character from a Boston bar-based sit com.)And the beauty is that this is both something a giant company can do, should they choose to do it, plus something a small (or solo) company MUST do, should they want to keep customers and clients happy.It's harder and harder to see companies as "too big to fail." Too many have fallen apart and had to rebuild. And for as many massive mergers as we see out there, this isn't technically a bad thing provided that the end result is quality service and good products served personably to the people who most want and need them.The big guys MUST do more than pretend to be the little guy. They've gotta take all the sentiment and heart and caring and dedication to the satisfaction of the buyer and deliver on this at a many-to-one scale. Henry Ford was wrong. We want our car to be purple. At least someone does.This post first appeared at chrisbrogan.com.

Brand Manage Camp is Worth It

I wouldn't ever write a post like this if I were asked. I hate when people ask me outright to say nice things about them or their company or their event. No one asked me to write any of this. I need to tell you that so I can say what I want to say next.I really REALLY loved Brand Manage Camp in Las Vegas. Run by Len Herstein, I have to tell you that I loved this event. This is SO WEIRD for me to say. I don't like talking about branding. I don't really like branding. But I loved every minute of this. I'll tell you why, really quickly.

1. Len really pays attention to the details. At 14 years, this event has really earned its space.
2. The attendees are every bit as great as the speakers. Probably better.
3. The speakers are friends. I saw and hung out with Andrew Davis, Scott Monty, Brian Solis, Ann Handley, and I got to meet Catharine Hays.
4. The sponsors are actually well integrated and worth it. Len also does a great job of finding the right sponsors.
5. The food. Okay, this is weird to talk about. Most events can't really help themselves because you have to use the built in food company that goes with the venue. But somehow, definitely on purpose, Len and team make the food experience luxurious. Out of the nearly one thousand events I've ever attended or spoken at, this food was in the top five.

To be honest, I wrote this post for my speaker friends, for my branding/marketing friends, and for people looking where they should spend their money. I'm asked all the time where people should spend their time and money when it comes to events. I usually just say to go to my friends' events.Now, I'll also tell them to see Len and team at Brand Manage Camp. It's worth it!

Are You A Business or a White Truck?

A friend recently emailed me and said she was having a crisis of faith, that her attempts to work with people weren't going especially well, that she felt a bit lost in it all. I gave her some fairly harsh feedback, but all in the service of love. The shortest version of my response to her? "You have a white truck, not a business."

Define Your Business As Clearly As You Can

When I talk about a "white truck" business, here's the thing: if you buy a white truck like the one in the picture above, you CAN do pretty much anything with it. You could be a landscaper. You could haul stuff. You could help people move. You could start a logistics and delivery organization. Whatever. There are LOTS of ways to use a white truck.

When you say (and I'm making this up) "I want to help people reach their full potential by helping them clarify their stories" or similar words, that's a white truck. A lot of business people see that sentence and think, "I don't know what to do with that!"

"I help people market better using social media."

So what? White truck. Everyone says they do that.

Paint the Truck

I'm not saying "market to a niche." I'm not fond of that. I'm saying "make YOUR offering make more sense. Make it more clear. Be specific."

Right now, we sell a handful of courses:- Work Like you're On Vacation - what do you think that's about? Productivity, in this case.- Earn More Customers (well, it goes on sale in a week or so). Pretty clear, right?- Online Course Maker - also clear, right?There's not a lot of ambiguity. The details? Well sure. You have to dig in to see what you get. But it's reasonably clear what you're going to sign on for.But that's my example. Yours will differ.

There's More to This Story

What I just covered was branding. But branding isn't business. Business is knowing what to chase, what to ignore, how to serve.My mom and I were having a conversation about the guy she hired to help her keep the back yard neat and weed-free. He was hired for that, but said, "Hey, want me to rake this stuff up while I'm here?" Then, "Hey, want me to spray some weed killer for you?" And more. He knew his job: yards. He knew what ELSE to offer: more yard stuff.What he didn't offer was to also do her taxes. He didn't offer to handle her groceries. He stuck to the "genre" of his work.This man has a well-painted truck and he knows what to do with it, and what NOT to do with it.

Are You Running Your Business Like a White Truck?

Are you chasing every opportunity instead of building up a suite of ways you can serve others? Are you thrashing around with "oh, but I could also take that on" issues instead of locking down a good reputation for delivering a few really solid experiences?

Paint the truck.

Earn More Customers

My next webinar is . Peek at that and see if it makes sense.

Business is About Belonging - A Short Excerpt

The following is an excerpt from my new book, The Freaks Shall Inherit the Earth, published by John C Wiley and Sons. The important concept I'm hoping to get across as a cornerstone for this book is that it's important that one learns deeply about belonging:

Business is About Belonging

I’ve received compliments with a consistent theme over the past decade or so. People tell me, “You really do care about people,” and “I feel like you see me and understand me” and “I’ve really enjoyed meeting and getting to know the people you’ve gathered into your community.”I’m proud of this, of course—but only because it continues to confirm a business tenet in which I believe strongly. Though you’ll rarely find it out there in the textbooks, if you listen and read closely, you’ll find in the works of many successful people: Business is about belonging.It might seem strange that a book that encourages freaki-ness and the refusal to fit in praises the idea of belonging. But you can see how these two ideas are different, correct? “Fitting in” often means shaving off your unique edges, hiding and masking what defines you, discarding any behaviors or appearances or images that prompt others to question you or push away from you. “Belonging” is about finding that place where you finally let out a deep breath you had no idea you were holding and feeling with great certainty that the people around you understand you.Raul Colon is a friend of mine and a successful business consultant, as well as one of the Spanish-language writers inside the pages of my magazine, Owner. Raul is also a vegan, which means that he doesn’t eat or use any animal products whatsoever. This is a challenge because Raul lives in Puerto Rico, where meat is a big part of the culture. He’s told me many stories of friends and relatives saying to him that they are vegetarian, and then watching them eat pork. When questioned, they say, “Well, it’s not beef.”Restaurants everywhere face a challenge when considering whether and how to serve the vegetarian and vegan (and other dietary choice) communities. Raul wrote a piece for Owner where he com- mented on the big difference between a restaurant that grudgingly ensures that a salad has no animal products, and one that proudly displays a wide selection of dishes specifically targeted for vegans. The difference, of course, is that when Raul finds a restaurant that welcomes his business, he spends more of his money there. He feels that he belongs.Harley Davidson might be one of the brands that is most famous for creating a sense of community. People who wear suits and dresses during work hours keep their Harley keychains and “My Other Car Is a Harley” bumper stickers handy to remind themselves and others that this is where they belong. Some books have looked at this kind of branding as tribal. What we’ve come to co-opt as the concept of tribes is built on belonging, as well.

Order your copy today!

You can get Freaks at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, 800CEORead, or at your local store. Grab one today.

Everyone is Smarter Than You

If you do it right, everyone around you will be smarter than you. Everyone will have great ideas and thoughts you've never considered, and all kinds of brilliance to add to your experience. When you are fortunate enough to know a lot of smart people, your odds of this being true are even greater. Want to know how to surround yourself with smart people?

How to Find People Who Are Smarter Than You

Go where they are. The brilliant people who are interacting with each other in the Owner Mastery Foundation Group teach me something every time I go there. When I go to great events like the New Media Expo, I'm surrounded by brilliant people. When I visit gatherings like the one that Keith Griffis held in Cambridge the other night, I am lucky to meet brilliant people. And those who came to my very own MDC Boston event at the Hotel Colonnade in Boston? Well, they were super ultra smart.

How to Benefit From People Who Are Smarter Than You

I benefit from people who are smarter than me all the time. I stuffed a whole magazine full of them. I get to talk to people like Becky McCray and ask her for her thoughts and ideas. I get to listen to some of the most successful business people I know like Bob Burg and Charlie Green and Marsha Collier to name a few, and I can seek their ideas and understanding. Heck, most of the time, I just observe what they're doing and get smarter from them. Or I read their books and ebooks. Mostly both.

I also benefit from connecting them together, and from helping them find more business for themselves. When I get amazing help creating themes for my audio projects from Mark Hermann, he also gets a little more "known" as a guy who can help you make your podcast (or whatever) stand out. When I tell people that Rachel Gogos does great branding and design strategy work, you can figure that out and benefit from it, too.

Share Everyone's Brilliance As Often As Possible

SEBAOAP. The best way to come away seeming like a really smart person, it turns out, is to support the really brilliant people you're fortunate enough to spend time with more often than not. When I can share that great new post by Jonathan Fields, you'll really likely only remember that you feel smarter and that I showed it to you (unless you saw it already). Poof. I seem smarter already. Right? Share other people's brilliance. Share everything you can.

And I don't mean retweet. I mean, get in there and LOVE on the person. Like full effect Tim Sanders level loving on them.

That's what will make you seem as amazing and smart as you probably really are. It's not what you know. It's not who you know. It's how you show love. Maybe. I think. You? What do I know? You're the smart one around here!

Your Brand Is Meant to Answer a Question

So many people are concerned with how to brand, what branding means to their business, whether they should brand at all, and more. Friends of mine are branding experts, have written books about the topic. I've written on it before, mostly from the perspective of personal branding. I was thinking about this today and wanted to share a perspective: your brand is meant to answer a question.

What Do You Do For Me?

Apple means what to you? Elegance? Design? What does it do for you? Most people like Apple because it "just works." What car did you choose? What does it say about you? What does it do for you?

The question of branding isn't all that complicated. Answer it however you believe you can best serve the people of your community. But it's the next part that's difficult.

How Do You Deliver on the Promise of Your Brand?

But the DELIVERY of the PROMISE of your brand is everything. Which airline do you like? Any of them? I like Virgin American, and I like JetBlue. I like Porter. That's about it. Why? Because the other brands failed to deliver on the basics, let alone their promise. I can think of brands that I love because they are 100% tied to their promise. My Chevy Camaro is a powerful muscle car. That's the promise. It delivers. My Moto X phone is geeky Android goodness and has a long battery life. (The promise with the Moto X is that you can customize it to be all about you. Fine by me, but I don't care about that.)

So first, you have to answer the question. Then, you have to deliver on whatever you answered.

The promise of Owner magazine is that we improve your business by growing your capabilities and connections. Said simpler, "Business is personal." That's what I've created to be the promise behind that brand. To deliver on it, I will work every day to find ways to empower and enrich the community who gathers around the magazine.

So turn this on you and your business: what do you do for your buyers? And do you deliver on that promise? That's the work of branding, in my not at all humble opinion. What say you?

Not a Social Media Guy - Bigger Stories

I woke up thinking about labels this morning. I thought about how strange they are, how limiting. And I realized yet again that despite some people's disdain for the concept of personal branding, we need to be mindful of what others label us.

The early days and what sparked me

When I got into the online world way back in the 80s, it was for a simple reason: the people around me were into talking about the Red Sox and cars, and I was into Batman and Star Wars. Folks on those first bulletin board services and later on platforms like AOL and Prodigy could align by interest instead of geography, and that was cool to me. Before that point, we were mostly forced into geography-centric, work-centric, or family-centric social groups.

Years later, when I got into blogging in 1998, it was because the tools let me express my interests and gave me an audience (pitifully small for a long while) for my writing. I didn't need permission to publish. I just put my work out there for people to see. Eventually, I got the hang of it, and connected with others who wrote work that I found personally interesting. Instead of having to stay slave to whatever the tastes of mainstream publishers were at the time, I could find someone writing something of interest via the web.

Listening to podcasts brought about a huge realization that knowledge was power. I often tell the story about hearing information from then-CTO of Sun Microsystems Jonathan Schwartz that led to a significant savings on a purchase my company was making. Getting immersed in that world the first time led me to cofound PodCamp, and it's what led me back to podcasting most recently with my new show.

Six years ago, when I joined Twitter, it felt like a super fast personal news service. I remember the moment that I knew it was valuable. I was at the CES event in Las Vegas, and Apple was having a big event (Macworld, I think) in California. I was roaming the floor with Jeff Pulver and he asked if maybe we should hop a plane to see what Apple was doing. I said, "We don't have to: I've got all the news right here in real time."

I wasn't all that fussy on Instagram when it game out. I used to tease people who used it, saying that it's a tool to turn people's lame life experiences into a bunch of fake album covers (for those of you under a certain age, albums are these weird square cardboard covers and vinyl discs that transferred music to our homes in the age before Spotify). I now think that if Facebook hadn't bought it, Instagram would have proven a huge threat to Zuckerberg and company. Why? Because it allows people to share personal experiences in a very simple way. There's not a lot to the product, and that's why it's exciting. Oh, and I use it all the time now.

I'm not a social media guy

Having a lot of domain knowledge about these social media tools has labeled me a social media guy. I understand that. I've been a cheerleader for this or that tool for quite a long time. But the truth is, the tools are just that. They're interesting insofar as how they can deliver value or not. In and of themselves, I'm not all that interested in them.

When I am thinking about business, I'm rarely thinking, "How can I help a company better use Pinterest?" Instead, my thoughts are more tuned to, "This business wants more buyers. How do I facilitate that?" Quite often, I use the social tools to bring some kind of benefit to a company (or an individual), but they're not a default.

My favorite social media right now? Email. I am in love with my newsletter experience, and how the interactions with people can be so personal and intimate and customized. Email's been around for decades. See?

I'm a business designer

In reworking what Human Business Works does for the world, we decided to focus on publishing and educating around a set of core concepts that we feel will help professionals do the work they want, only better. Business design is holistic. I don't help people with marketing. I help them with improving their business. Should marketing be the missing piece, I'll work on that. Should people need more exposure, we talk about how to get it. Should they need sales (usually a "yes"), we walk through ways to improve that process. Customer service? My favorite.

But labels are used whether or not you want them

But the labels are for other people any how. One realization I had early in business is that if you don't have clear and obvious interface points, people don't know how to interact with you. If I say I help with marketing, sales, and service, then people understand where to slot me. But there's always a slotting. It's why I get to keynote the annual PRSA conference for PR professionals *and* an annual Coldwell Banker conference for real estate professionals *and* events for the marketers of the world. Because what I have to share relates to humans in all aspects of business, and not just one.

A Recipe for Labeling Yourself

Realize this before I give you the ingredients: no matter what you call yourself, what others perceive will be different. Just the same, you should do what you can. If you don't help people understand what you represent, others will fill in their own blanks.

Ingredients

• Simple words (fewer syllables)
• Customer-facing explanation
• Ties back to "the real world"
• Repetition
• A body of work

Preparation

In working out what HBW and I do for people, I settled on the term "business design." The words are easy enough, and people can grasp what I mean when I put them together. Choose simple words to explain what you do, even if it's tricky. My former CTO, Bill Wessman, used to introduce himself at client meetings like this: "I'm Bill. Tech" He'd say almost nothing else. Those who needed to know who he was knew what he did, and those who just needed him in a bucket knew he wasn't the finance guy, the CEO, or the sales guy.

Sometimes, people have incredibly flowery labels for what they do, but not such that people understand how they can interact with you. I've talked to "chief dreamers" and many "divas" and it's hard to understand what they intended to do for me. "Professional declutterer" is understandable. "Interpreter" would be a swell name for a pastor, right? (Though they do a bit more than that.) Make the way you talk about yourself define the value others would get from working with you.

If you go too far afield, people won't know how to engage your services. Tie your description back to a real world interface. Business design focuses on sales, marketing, and service elements of a business. I won't be as helpful for the CIO (though I've worked with a few). Make sure this is clear in how you talk about yourself and how your website talks about you.

They say repetition is reputation. True that. And the phrase means "what you do is what people will know you for." I agree. But I also mean to say that the more times I say "business designer," the less people will call me social media guy.

At the end of it all, if you're not doing what you say you do, no one cares. I called myself an author for decades before I had published a proper book, and years before I even wrote regularly. I loved the label more than I loved the work. Thankfully, that has changed. But what you do is what you are. I meet lots of people who are the "Dream Lifestyle" guy, and who live in a one-bedroom in Scranton. No matter what you say you are, you are what you do most.

Identity Matters More to Us Than to Them

At the end of it all, it doesn't matter who you are to the person you serve. What matters is that they derive a benefit from their experience with you. That's what they want. What attracts them to you in the beginning isn't what will land the deal to keep you coming back. Results are what bring people back.

But don't shrug off the work of being clear about who you are and what you stand for, because it matters. Those labels can limit others' perspective of you, and that limits your opportunities. Be vigilant, and you'll find your place.

What Gets Packed Into a $97 Presentation?

When anyone puts out a product, pricing is important. It matters to understand what goes into the product, what kind of value people can expect to come out of it, and what is reasonable for the marketplace at hand.S. Anthony Iannarino and I have a webjam event coming up called Finding Your Superpower of Flight, about how one acquires their own permission to succeed, and about how one makes disciplined steps to get from the results they're experiencing now into where they're headed next. The goal is to help others achieve some level of success similar to what we've both accomplished. Not to be us, or to do what we've done, but instead, we're showing how one can take actions in their own life to grow their capabilities and personal bravery.But what goes into a presentation like this? What do Anthony and I have to do to make sure we've earned every dollar of the $97 we are charging for this experience?

What Goes Into a WebJam Like This One

You can expect a lot of stories and examples from our own experience, so that you can see how we dealt with our own challenges. That's first and foremost. We'll tell you recipe steps, including the ingredients that bring about these kinds of results, preparation instructions to help you do something with what you've discovered, and cook times, to give you a sense of how long this might all take.

We've got the live video (which WILL be recorded). We'll be doing a standalone separate audio presentation that goes with this presentation (but that isn't just the audio from the video you saw), and we're making a work booklet for you to use to plot your own course.

But more than any of that, we'll give you a sense of what it might take to get from where you are to where you're going, and we'll give you both steps to do that, the courage to grant yourself permission, and the support of a community of people who are all facing similar challenges.

If you're not sure, or if you want to see some of how Anthony and I interact with each other, we've started recording our chat sessions about this or that. Here's one from earlier today about branding and what that means for one's own super powers.Can't see the video? Click Here.

Ultimately, You Decide if It's Worth Your Money and Time

The best salesperson in the world can't "trick" you into buy. You have to want to take the next action. If you think this is interesting and if you believe that Anthony and I have something to offer on the subject of building your confidence, improving your discipline, and taking control of your own permission to achieve your goals, then you'll come to Finding Your Super Power of Flight. And if not, because this isn't for everyone, you'll stick with us and see what else we might do that's interesting.Either way, it's a win.

Map it Out

I hate when I'm trying to rebel against something and it ends up being the right way to do it. Does that happen to you? You think, "When I'm in charge, I'm not going to do it that way, and you'll see!" but then, it totally sucks the way you're doing it? Yeah, that's me right now.

Process. That's my bug. Process. Not me, specifically, but the running of companies, the running of my businesses, the needs of doing things in a way that I can educate others in how to succeed as well. Process. It's time to map it out.

Franchising is a Map

Do you know what a franchise is? A franchise is a system. You buy a system and some branding, and you then execute the system to the letter of the education you receive. If you buy a UPS store, you do it their way. If you buy a McDonalds, you do it their way. A franchise says this: "We've done this. We've perfected it. Do it exactly how we teach you, and you'll get there." (If you want to read more about franchise stuff, read The Franchise King. I'm just making a point.)

The trick of such businesses is that they map everything out for you. The opposite of that is figuring it all out for yourself. And sure, YOU can figure out everything by yourself, but unless you map it out, you'll be the one stuck having to do everything. Or, you'll be the one wanting different results than what you're getting. Or, you'll be the one who can't scale because it all requires a certain level of hand-holding that you've brought down on yourself.

Map It Out

There are two parts to mapping out your business processes: the frame and the paths. The frame gives people the boundaries, the borders, the "what we're doing and what the goals of that work are," plus the "rules and guidelines." The path gives people the how-to, plus the impacts of those actions up and downstream. Without both parts, business mapping isn't that useful. But this is still a bit esoteric. Let's talk through a map.

Process Name - Maps should all be named, so that everyone's referring to the same process.Goal - Spell out the most important goal/goals of the process at the VERY TOP.Success - It's great when you can spell out what success looks like. Use words *and* measurements (if you can)Requirements - What does one need to accomplish this task? What previous knowledge? Tools? PEOPLE? Etc.Background - Write a paragraph or two explaining what makes this process important.Story/Flow - Before you bark out a set of instructions, tell the "story" of the process. Make sure people understand the flow. This helps people NOT cut corners and not interpret parts differently than intended, because in context (which the flow provides), they understand what's what and how it relates to the rest.Actions - This is the checklisty part. Make it so. Make it simple, repeatable. Make it on a different physical page to the backstory. They have to read and learn all the above stuff. They have to FOLLOW the actions list.Measurements - Show how to measure success. Whatever it is, show that there's a success checkoff.

Maps Fit Into the Frame

That's a simple map. That's a process layout kind of structure. Then, you group the processes into a frame, where the frame explains the larger goals, shows how the processes interrelate, and shows the strategic vision behind all the processes. That way, when a process gets old (how to fax people to find leads), you can swap it out with a new process (how to tweet people to find leads). Make sense?

There are Variations on the Theme

There are other ways to do this. There are some things that shouldn't have too rigid a process around it. There are reasons why this won't work.

However, every very successful business has a process and frame system. Every one. And once you get comfortable using such practices, you find the key to growth and sustainability. Oh, and your business also becomes infinitely more sellable, should that be of interest to you.

What do YOUR maps look like?

Don't Market Lazy

Social media tools and social networks aren't the salvation of all marketing. They don't replace the most important parts of marketing: knowing where your client is, and knowing what they need. Yes, your client may be using a social network, but that's just the start. You have to engage them in a way that helps them find their way to your needs, while still respecting and enforcing their interests. Further, you have to find them where they are, not where you're using your tools.

Recently, I've been reading some older books by Dan Kennedy. He advocates a lot of oldschool marketing, like sales letters, series of sales letters, lead generation tools, etc. The more I'm reading, the more I'm realizing just how lazy we get when we stick to the tools we know. I'm not necessarily going to run some ads in trade publications, but I'm most definitely not doing enough to market beyond the realm of my social media audience. Here's more on that.

Why We Get Lazy

First, we get lazy because we think we've done a great job of building up a community (or at the very least, an audience). I'm lazy because I get around 200,000 unique visitors to my site, plus I have almost that many Twitter followers, plus 11K in my email newsletter, plus 13K on LinkedIn. That SHOULD be a lot of people. If I pitch 200,000 people for a sale, then I should get 200 buyers. Right? Never happens. Because my audience is very diverse. I have 200,000 very very diverse people. And yet, when I look at those kinds of numbers, I get lazy and think that I have enough people in my "list" to promote a product or service.

Untrue. But that's why I get lazy.

How to Wake Up And Re-Learn

First, you can't overlook methods and approaches just because they're not your favorite. This came crashing into me, partly from reading what Kennedy was up to, partially from a few interesting conversations. My friend, Ed, mentioned that he thought StumbleUpon was really warming up again. I'm not a giant user, but if Ed says it, I'll try it. My friend, Chris Penn asked if welcome popups work (those popups that obscure your view of someone's site). The thing is, the stats say yes. Absolutely. And yet, I bristle when I think about using them. Which will win in the long run? Do you need a hint?

Relearning requires that you look at the basics, the core, the guts of marketing, and ask yourself what you're doing or not doing. For instance, if you're not using email marketing, you're missing a huge opportunity that continues to close more and more business for people who do it well. If you're not doing any direct mail marketing, you might be missing another opportunity (note: I'm very seriously considering some testing of direct mail marketing for Kitchen Table Companies, because the buyer there is small business types).

Measurements Instead of Gut Feel

If you're not tracking conversions, then you're not even marketing. You're hoping. You're talking about stuff. If you're not finding measurements that match your efforts and explain your sales cycle, then you're fairly much pretending to market. Sure there are parts that you can look at like "awareness" and "sentiment," but while those are helpful to the larger story, they don't put money in the bank (instantly).

One really interesting point that Dan Kennedy made about small business versus big business: you can't afford to market like a big business if you're a small business. You have to pay attention to sales conversion and cost of acquisition, and not nearly as much to branding and the like. Make sense?

Where are You Lazy?

What parts of marketing aren't you doing? What could you improve? What will change your business? What could you do tomorrow to grow your business even more?

Two things that I've decided to stop being lazy about, so far:

• Facebook Marketing
• Google Adwords

I know nothing much about either thing yet. I'm just doodling and noodling at present. But I promise you, once I know a bit more, I'll share with folks at Third Tribe, where we work constantly to develop even more effective marketing. Maybe you'll share, too.

The Evolution of Chris Brogan

Who is Chris Brogan? Who am I? What do you see when looking in from the outside? This is on my mind since a friend (a friend who's a professional in the branding space) said that my brand is pretty muddy and confusing right now. She said it's pretty hard to know who I am and what I'm about from the outside. I need more friends like this.Let me tell who I am in 2011, and then I'll go back and explain how I got there.

Chris Brogan in 2011

I am pushing the idea of human business: sustainable, relationship-minded business. Some folks call it social business. My goal is to help people find their own personal Escape Velocity by helping them understand how they can run a human business. My own business, Human Business Works, is an education and media company. I've got a group dedicated to helping nonprofits, run by Estrella Rosenberg. I've got a group dedicated to helping small businesses and entrepreneurs, run by Joe Sorge. I'm launching several media properties in 2011, where the goal is to highlight some of the great voices out there, and help them grow human businesses from their media projects.I'm helping CrossTech Ventures build a "content, community, marketplace" project with The Pulse Network. I helped New Marketing Labs launch Red Pin Marketing, to show a commitment to small and medium businesses.I speak professionally on social business, on marketing, on the way networks build wealth (only not in the way that most people string those words together).

Who Am I?

In that cocktail party, 5 seconds way, I run a media and education business focused on small businesses. I help incubate businesses for CrossTech Ventures. I speak and write books about this kind of stuff.That's small enough, eh?

Where I Come From

For the 90s and into 2006, I worked in telecommunications. Outside of work, I got into primitive social networks like bulletin board services. I found AOL and then CompuServ and all those. And in 1998, I started blogging back when it was journaling. In high school, I wrote reasonably well, and won a few awards. In the telecom world, I had lots of roles, but what I really did for the last few years in those businesses was akin to what I do with you here. I tell people about things in an interesting and easy way, and make it seem reasonably simple to do something.In 2006, I cofounded PodCamp, an event about media like blogging, podcasting, video. From that, Jeff Pulver invited me to work with him at VON and also at Network2, a startup about internet video. I went from that into CrossTech Media. From there, I founded New Marketing Labs. It's been a ball of fire ever since. Oh, and I wrote a book or two and won some awards (New York Times Bestseller. Wall Street Journal bestseller. Etc.)

The Brand Called Me

It's strange to lay yourself out and look at all that you do. I think one of my bigger fears in life has been to be locked into being one thing, to be seen as just a part of my whole. The "whole" of what I'm trying to accomplish involves helping people figure out their own path through platform and value. In talking to Kat about it, she said, "Well, would you rather it was super easy to say? Like 'Chris is a project manager at bcgi.' Is that better?" A-ha, I said.So, to me, my brand is something like this: "a business launcher, demonstrating human business." Whatever that really means.

What About The Community Guy?

I'm more about community than ever. The difference is this: in 2006 and around that time, I'd build groups of excited people around interesting things, and we didn't know where it'd go. It was a lot of fun, but it also chewed up a lot of energy and time with nothing coming it out of it except for feeling good and enjoying each other (which is a value all unto itself). Now, rolling into 2011, I've found ways to help others build business value. I extract some value for that in my private communities, and I contribute to other people's success as often as I can via my public media. Seems reasonable to me. I give you 90+ percent of what I create to you for free. I charge for the extras.

And Then?

What's the sum of all this? Who cares?You know what I'm focusing on? Building value. Delivering quality. Growing up new stars. That's the goal. More kings, more owners. More people who'd escaped into a new velocity.Does this all make sense? Do you have a sense of the scope of me? And who cares?

Build or Buy

I just saw that Salon might be up for sale. Oh, and MySpace, too. Earlier in the same day that I read this, I sent a Happy Birthday email to John Furrier (most famous for running PodTech in the good old days). There are MANY things up for sale in the online world these days.

The question is this: should you buy or should you just build your own?

Considerations on Building or Buying

Factors that you might consider before deciding whether to build your own MySpace/Salon/PodTech or buying one of these platforms that are for sale:

1. Do you have in-house knowledge to build your own?
2. Is this core to your business goals?
3. Could you do something with this?
4. Why is it for sale? (If they couldn't make it work, why do YOU think you can?)
5. Is this the best use of your money?

There are Opportunities to Build

In my role as entrepreneur in residence at CrossTech Ventures, I've had conversations like this with Stephen Saber tons of times. They started a few years ago when this guy called us to sell us an instance of his software. He then called asking if we wanted to invest. A short while later, he asked us if we wanted to buy his company. Later, he said the code was for sale at pennies on the dollar.This experience has repeated a lot lately.

The Nugget in All This

But do you want to build or buy? I would have bought PodTech when it went up for sale. They had a huge list, a lot of assets, and I think I would've been able to make the business work by going back to what made me love it back in 2005. I wouldn't buy MySpace. I wouldn't buy Salon.In MY thinking, the assets have to be really paired well with relationships. I know that MySpace has a huge list, but I don't think that the future of that list is positive without a lot of rework. There are relationships there, but not enough assets (for ME, I'm saying).

Same Thing With Sharing Branding

As someone who co-founded an open-sourced event ( PodCamp), I am kind of poking at this, so take this for what it's worth. Why buy into someone else's brand when you can build your own? Are you franchising? Or are you a new brand? There are benefits to both models in all things. There are drawbacks to both models in all things.

See why this is important?

The question, though, is worth thinking about, especially with your own business, your own products, your own everything. Are YOU worth buying, or are you something that others will build themselves? (Interesting to phrase it that way about one's self, eh?)

And you?

P.S. The better person to write a post like this would be Dharmesh Shah. He's a smart guy. Maybe he'll write his own thoughts on this one.

The Basics Matter

Evidently, I've written about the basics before in a different context.I was thinking about the basics of marketing, the 4 P's as they're sometimes called:ProductPricePlacePromotionI think most people spend a lot of time on promotion. I think lots of people fall back into price when they fail at promotion. I worry that people don't think much about place. I'm not alone in knowing that we don't often work hard enough on product, and we try to make up for it in promotion (and customer service).

The Basics Matter

To me, place is a huge one. Distribution matters. I'm about to launch some tests of some sales channels that I've never used before and I'm more excited than anything, because I suspect (and my working hypothesis) is that I will be really successful in using this channel. (Remember, it's an educated guess, so who knows, and no I won't tell you, because it relates to me, and it's not very amazing and earth-shattering.)Place is a basic that we don't think nearly enough about. Distribution, moving things to weblocal, thinking through the variants on partnerships, all that kind of stuff really matters. I noticed a sub shop had partnered with a bunch of gas station convenience stores up in Maine recently. The shop is good. Their product is good. But the distribution and branding of being paired with these stores means that there are many more units selling more product than their closest competitors.Product matters, but I'm not smart enough to write about it, except to say that I work hard at stuffing value into the products I create. If we don't shoot to deliver more value than is expected, we're already down 1/4 of the basics, such as it were.

Promotion is Great. Do More.

I think promotion is where we spend a lot of our time on marketing, but as time goes on, I'm thinking harder about two of the other three Ps in that old, worn model. Why? Because I think there's a lot more magic left in that old silk hat.Thoughts?