Once a Day Marketing: networking

Showing posts with label networking. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Enhance Your Brand with Public Speaking (Action Wednesday/Promotion)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing. Today is Action Wednesday and we are going to discuss the importance of becoming a public speaker.

One of the best ways I’ve found to enhance my own personal brand is seeking public speaking engagements. There are many organizations in need of professionals to speak to their audiences on a variety of topics.

This activity brands you as an expert. You will be in front of a large gathering speaking about a subject you are very knowledgeable of. That enhances your brand. Afterwards, you are able to make connections with people from the group. Those connections may lead to business opportunities.

Develop entertaining and informative content. You don’t want to be boring. You want to make sure that everybody leaves the presentation excited about what they’ve heard and feeling good about the content.

Watch our Once a Day Marketing™ video to learn more: Public Speaking Enhances Your Brand

Once a Day Marketing™ positions brands to become #1 in the minds of target customers. Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com. You may also contact James Glover at (505) 501-1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com

Friday, April 5, 2013

CBS Sports Slam Dunks NCAA Online Coverage (Digital Friday/Process)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today is Digital Friday and we are going to give a big shout out to CBS Sports.

For college basketball fans this is a great time of the year. The NCAA Tournament is underway to determine the #1 team in the nation. These games are exciting and you never know which team is going to win. That's what makes it so much fun to watch.

Another aspect that makes it fun to watch is that CBS Sports is streaming the tournament live on the Internet. This is a tremendous product offering by CBS Sports for fans who don't have access to the game on a television set. Now fans who are out of their home can still tune in and root for their team.

CBS Sports gets high marks for using digital technology to enhance the customer experience. As you strive to increase the stature of your brand with your customers remember to review all possible digital strategies. With a careful exploration you might discover a digital solution that will wow your customers.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Networking Generates Business Opportunities (Action Wednesday/People)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today is Action Wednesday and I want you to promise to do one very important thing this year: network.

There are many ways to build your personal brand, in my opinion nothing works as well as networking. Meeting someone face-to-face is essential in relationship building which is the foundation for virtually all your future business opportunities.

I do a lot of branding and strategic work with communities. Last week I attended a networking event featuring chambers of commerce, municipalities and economic development groups from all over the state of New Mexico. In just a few hours I was able to meet many new people, discuss the needs of their communities, and exchange business cards. I now am following up on several potential projects.

For Action Wednesday commit to networking more this year. I know it will provide a great return on the time you invest.

Watch our Once a Day Marketing™ video to learn more: Networking 101

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Create a Marketing Recipe for Success

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today is Recon Thursday where I share my thoughts on branding and marketing.

The other day a friend posted an inspiring illustration on Facebook. The image showed a man walking through a field pulling an asphalt road behind him. With every step he was leaving a defined path for others to follow. The caption read: "Sometimes the best road is the one we make".

This illustration reminded me of all the promotional channels available to market our products or services. I refer to these options as the marketing ecosystem. There are countless combinations -- print, video/audio, PR, online, direct, out of home, place-based, mobile, and experiential -- that you can use to develop your marketing. If you are creative and strategic, you will map out a plan or "recipe" that is unique to your brand. If successful, your competitors will follow.

To learn more about promotional channels, watch my Once a Day Marketing video: The Evolving Marketing Ecosystem

Once a Day Marketing assists brands to become #1 in the minds of their customers. Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com.You may also contact James Glover at (505) 501-1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com

Friday, January 11, 2013

Harness the Networking Power of LinkedIn (Digital Friday/People)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today is Digital Friday where we address social media and things digital.

There are few things more important today than building a strong professional business network. It's never been easier than through the power of social media, in particular LinkedIn.

I am a big fan and very loyal follower of LinkedIn. Over the past year I have tapped the enormous capabilities of LinkedIn to build a network of over 1,800 connections. These online associates hail from all over the world and across all industries; collectively they possess incredible skills and experience. Through this network I now have the means to quickly reach out when it's important to engage potential partners and prospects.

If you aren’t a member of LinkedIn yet, join soon and be sure to take the time to thoroughly complete your profile. Once you have established your LinkedIn presence, build connections and cultivate online business relationships through individual or group interactions.

Get started today by joining our LinkedIn group, click on the link to watch the Once a Day Marketing video: Once a Day Marketing LinkedIn Group

Once a Day Marketing assists businesses to become #1 in the minds of their customers. Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com.You may also contact James Glover at (505) 501-1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com

Friday, November 2, 2012

People 2 People: The New B2B and B2C (Digital Friday/People)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy for Once a Day Marketing™ and today is Digital Friday. I know you’ve heard of B2B marketing which is Business to Business and B2C marketing which is Business to Consumer. Today we are going to talk about P2P which is People to People marketing.

Since the inception of advertising it’s literally been a one way street. Marketers have been pushing their message out to target customers whether it has been B2B, Business to Business or B2C, Business to Consumer. Today, through social media, we have the opportunity to make it a two-way street and communicate with our customers in new ways, hence the name People to People.

Even though there are a lot more people in the world, from a marketing perspective it’s really getting smaller and smaller due to social media. The capability now exists to put information online through various channels like Facebook or LinkedIn and for potential customers to respond. When they do respond, you have the opportunity to create a dialogue with them. Marketers are no longer pushing their message out, it is a two way interaction; that’s the power of social media and what I mean by People to People.

I’m sure most of us would rather have a two-way conversation in anything we do personally. The same is true with business. Through social media and People to People advertisers are able to share a message, to reach out and to have people reach back to them, engage in a conversation and cultivate a relationship. It’s now a two way street, you are able to meet consumers on an individual level, even if it’s over the internet, and share common thoughts and interests.

I’m reaching out to you today and looking forward to you reaching back to me as well.

That concludes Digital Friday. Join us next week for Smart Monday. To discuss an online or onsite service engagement and enhance the marketing and branding for your organization, contact James Glover: (505) 501-1330 or onceadaymarketing@gmail.com. I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™ and we’ll see you next time.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Newsweek Going All Digital (Digital Friday/Positioning)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy for Once a Day Marketing™. Today is Digital Friday and I'm wondering if you've heard the news about Newsweek magazine. It makes for a fascinating blog today.

Newsweek is a highly recognized brand and has been in existence since 1933, competing with Time Magazine to see who could create that cover that everyone would be looking for. Newsweek just announced that, beginning in 2013, the magazine will no longer be printed, it will only be distributed through digital channels.

Newsweek cites high production and distribution costs as causing the demise of print. However, I also believe the business model is changing. Consumers seeking information expect immediate results and we are able to obtain that digitally. As in the case of Newsweek magazine, print may not longer be viable for many publications, impacting other printed material in the future as well.

We're not going to debate whether or not Newsweek survives, I certainly hope it does. Their shift away from printed magazines demonstrates that computers, tablets, smart phones and the ability to connect to information instantly is changing how we seek out that content.

So the question for you is what space are you in with your product? Is it something like a Newsweek that may encounter challenges because you aren't delivering the product digitally? If so, consider whether or not you are able to revamp and enhance your product so it has a digital component.

As you look out over the competitive landscape there will be companies in your market that are experiencing difficulties because they are too traditional. This may provide you with an opportunity to introduce a digital product, capture additional market share and establish yours as a brand dominant.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Cultivating Relationships: Connect with New Contacts (Recon Thursday/People)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy for Once a Day Marketing™. You’ve been working hard all year to develop relationships and now it’s time to solidify those ties and that is what we are going to talk about today.

With the end of the year approaching, this is a good time to review the new connections that you have been compiling during the course of the year. I want you to make a list and prioritize who is a real possibility for future work or opportunities. Then plan to reconnect with them before the end of the year.

Using your prioritized list, decide the best direction to take to reconnect with these individuals. Determine whether to use e-mail, a phone call or maybe even a hand written note which I’ve talked about in the past. In your communication, remind them how you met and have a specific call to action such as discussing potential business, partnering or just to connect and firm up that relationship.

This recon work and then reaching out to your new connections may pay off for you. It will keep you on top of their mind and will enhance and build on the relationship. Who knows? It may even lead to business for your company before the end of the year.

That concludes Recon Thursday. Join us tomorrow for Digital Friday. To discuss an online or onsite service engagement and enhance the marketing and branding for your organization, contact James Glover: (505) 501-1330 or onceadaymarketing@gmail.com. I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™ and we’ll see you next time.

Monday, October 15, 2012

USP: Unique Selling Proposition ( Smart Monday/Promotion)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy for Once a Day Marketing™. Today is Smart Monday and we’re going to talk about something that has been around since 1960 when it was first introduced, and that’s USP or Unique Selling Proposition.

Jack Trout is one of the foremost marketing experts in the world and he authored a book called “Differentiate or Die.” In it, Trout says there are two types of companies. One that feels they are better than the competition and another that feels they are the same as the competition.

He goes on to say that neither one understands that you have to be different and he harkens back to a principle that was developed by Rosser Reeves back in 1960 called the Unique Selling Proposition or USP.

According to Reeves there are three components to the USP. First you must make a proposition to your customers that when they buy your product they will get a specific benefit.

Second, that your product is truly unique and your competition does not offer the same product or service.

And third, that the proposition must be strong enough to motivate your customers to buy your product. Just because you can offer it doesn’t mean they will necessarily want to buy it.

Why is understanding USP so imperative to the success of your marketing and ultimately the success of your organization? First, competition is global, not just in your neighborhood any longer. Second, your potential customers are bombarded by advertisements every single day. In fact the last statistic I heard is they are hit by 5,000 ads per day.

If you can determine your USP you are going to have a distinct advantage over your competition. And, as Jack Trout said: Differentiate or die.

That concludes Smart Monday. Join us tomorrow for Strategic Tuesday. To discuss an online or onsite service engagement and enhance the marketing and branding for your organization, contact James Glover: (505) 501-1330 or onceadaymarketing@gmail.com. I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™ and we’ll see you next time.

Friday, October 12, 2012

LinkedIn Notifications: Great New Networking Tool (Digital Friday/People)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy for Once a Day Marketing™. Today is Digital Friday and I am going to share with you an exciting new feature that LinkedIn has added to its already great networking tool.

As I have said many times, it is very important to cultivate relationships through social media channels. And as you expand your presence online and start contributing more content, it is sometimes challenging to follow up on all the responses you receive. LinkedIn has added a new feature called Notifications and that is what I am going to talk about next.

On the LinkedIn home page you will see a small flag at the top, and a red number next to it as well. That flag/number indicates notifications of responses to your postings are available. These are being provided by LinkedIn in real time. Notification may include a Like of one of your comments, a new comment on one of your posting or it may be that someone has accepted an invitation to join your network or your group.

The most exciting aspect is that now, in one place, there is a dropdown dialogue box informing you of all the recent interactions that you have had.

The Notification feature from LinkedIn allows you to instantly know who is interacting with you and enables you to respond promptly and continue to develop relationships by cultivating interactions. This is a great tool to enhance your networking capabilities.

That concludes Digital Friday. Join us next week for Smart Monday. To discuss an online or face to face service engagement and enhance the marketing and branding for your organization, contact James Glover: (505) 501-1330 or onceadaymarketing@gmail.com. I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™ and we’ll see you next time.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Marketing Ecosystem: Mobile Devices (Strategic Tuesday/Promotion)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy for Once a Day Marketing™. It’s Strategic Tuesday and today we are going to look at the seventh part in our series about the marketing ecosystem, in particular mobile devices.

On Digital Friday I have done several blogs on the growth of mobile devices. Currently there are 700,000 iPhone apps available, that’s a lot of applications. From a marketing perspective, when you are determining how to communicate your message you should be considering mobile devices. This category includes smart phones, tablets, MP3 players and game consoles.

First are smart phones and tablets. You are able to use ring tones, coupons and conduct e-commerce. The sky is the limit when it comes to delivering your message via tables and smart phones. On MP3 players, videos, music and pod casts can deliver your advertisements.

Lastly, we’ll discuss game consoles. Game consoles are typically used by a younger audience. If your product is geared to a younger audience, consider designing a clever way to get your promotion into games.

Given the popularity and the growth of mobile devices, incorporating this channel into your marketing portfolio warrants serious attention by you and your marketing team. As you move forward, continue to watch for what types of opportunities may be on the horizon because there are sure to be new trends coming.

Of the nine marketing ecosystem nodes, I think mobile devices may even start to eclipse some of the other nodes, rendering them less popular or possibly even obsolete. Keep thinking about ways to put mobile devices to work for you.

That concludes Strategic Tuesday. Join us tomorrow for Action Wednesday. To discuss an online or face to face service engagement and enhance the marketing and branding for your organization, contact James Glover: (505) 501-1330 or onceadaymarketing@gmail.com. I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™ and we’ll see you next time.

Monday, October 8, 2012

Branding in Non-Mature and Mature Markets (Smart Monday/Positioning)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy for Once a Day Marketing™. Today is Smart Monday and we’re going to take a quick look at what I call “non-mature” and “mature” markets and why this is important for you to understand when you are developing your brand strategy.

Let’s start by defining non-mature vs. mature markets. A non-mature market is where there is no clear category leader. No top-of-mind, no mindshare that any one particular brand is commanding in that market.

In a mature market there might be several category leaders. For example, if I asked you to name a top cola which one do you think of? Coke, Pepsi probably come to mind first and maybe RC Cola, a distant third. Those are all category brand leaders in a mature market.

There are various branding strategies you can leverage depending on whether or not you are in a non-mature or mature market. In a non-mature market there is an opportunity to capture mindshare. You can begin branding your product and letting consumers know your name, where you are located, and what your business is all about. You can also educate potential customers to ensure they clearly understand the overt benefits associated with your products verses your competition.

In a mature market you should continue branding to maintain top of mind. There are going to be new companies trying to capture marketshare from you so if you aren’t branding and reminding your customers you’re out there your competitors will begin taking away some of that marketshare.

I would like to make a distinction between non-mature and mature because it may relate specifically to you. Let’s say you’re an entrepreneur opening a new pizza parlor. Your first thought might be that you are in a very mature market. And, yes, if you are trying to come into town and compete against Domino’s and Pizza Hut that could be the case. But if you’re opening a pizza parlor on the far end of town in a new residential development where there is not a lot of commercial development, your market may only be that smaller area. That would be a non-mature market and very important to educate your customers about where you are what you do. In this case, your differentiator is close proximity to the new neighborhood and you want residents to find you when they are hungry.

That concludes Smart Monday. Join us tomorrow for Strategic Tuesday. To discuss an online or face to face service engagement and enhance the marketing and branding for your organization, contact James Glover: (505) 501-1330 or onceadaymarketing@gmail.com. I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™ and we’ll see you next time.

Friday, October 5, 2012

Hulu and Subway: Fresh Approach to Web TV (Digital Friday/Product)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy for Once a Day Marketing™. It’s Digital Friday and my inspiration for today’s blog comes from an article I read recently in Daily Variety magazine.

Most of you have probably heard of hulu.com, which is a website allowing on demand streaming of movies and television programming. Initially hulu only offered content from other providers. With the acceleration of the digital convergence, hulu is now creating their own programming and employing very clever strategies that I think are going to turn the industry on its head.

Recently, hulu produced a comedy series called the 4 to 9ers about high school age young people who work in a mall. In particular they work in a Subway sandwich restaurant. This approach is not just product placement like a can of Coke on a table. What is truly interesting is that the series is being underwritten by Subway and the set is a Subway restaurant.

This is an innovative approach by both hulu and Subway. Clearly the advertiser, Subway, sees the value of positioning its product and brand in a program targeted to a younger audience. It is a very smart strategy for both hulu and Subway and I believe we will see more of this type of advertising in the future.

When Apple Computers was founded, Steve Jobs licensed the rights to the name Apple from the Beatles. At that time the Beatles didn’t think the computer was going to be involved in the music industry. Of course we now know that Apple is a big part of the music industry.

I think there is a parallel to be drawn with what hulu is doing. Originally their content came from a TV industry provider. Now they are producing content that may become so popular they will be able sell it to a television network.

This convergence is real and advertisers like Subway are positioning themselves to take advantage of opportunities as they arise in new, growing trends.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Strategic Brand Analysis: Competitor Recon (Recon Thursday/Process)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy for Once a Day Marketing™. It’s Recon Thursday and this is part two in our series using David Akers strategic brand analysis model. Today we are discussing how to determine the best positioning for your brand to compete in the marketplace.

In my previous installment I talked about consumer analysis. Today we are going to be looking at two components of competitor analysis; brand image/positioning and brand strengths/vulnerabilities.

It’s important to know where your competitors stand today and where you think they will be in the near future. Begin the analysis by researching your competitors brand image and positioning. It is very easy to use social media to find out what customers are saying about your competition. Whether the comments are positive or negative, you can certainly glean great information from them.

Also determine how your competitors are advertising. Where and what are they advertising? What is there message? Which consumers are they targeting? This is important knowledge to have when you build your strategic brand in the future.

Next, it’s up to you to determine what you feel their strengths and weaknesses are. As you are developing strategy, you may want to avoid areas where a competitor is very strong. An aspect where they are weaker may provide an opportunity for you to exploit.

Performing competitive analysis is a great tool to use. You can’t develop strategy to defend against what your competition is doing if you don’t know what they are doing. As you continue to learn about your competitors, groupings will begin to emerge, brandscapes is the term often used. You will be able to spot where other companies are aligned in the marketplace and perhaps identify a space that no one else is reaching. That would be a great area for you to pursue in future marketing efforts.

That concludes Recon Thursday. Join us tomorrow for Digital Friday. To discuss an online or face-to-face service engagement and enhance the marketing and branding for your organization, contact James Glover: (505) 501-1330 or onceadaymarketing@gmail.com. I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™ and we’ll see you next time.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Field Tactics: Are You Making the Plays? (Action Wednesday/Process)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today is Action Wednesday and those of you that follow my blog know I am an avid football fan. I see many similarities between preparing for a football game and preparing your marketing plan and tactically implementing that plan.

Let’s say the start of the season is the start of your business year and your team is in place. First create a playbook or marketing plan of items you are going to implement during the course of the year to get your message out. Then identify which plans are the best to implement during the season and which players are well suited to implement them. Next we’re going to look at whether or not you are implementing the way you should be.

For Action Wednesday I want you to review your game plan, that marketing action plan, and determine which tactics are working best for you. Ensure you continue to implement those items. Just like in a football game, if the play is working keep using it until the defense stops it. Also review tactics you had planned but aren’t implementing. Now is the time to identify those items, put them into the game and see how they do.

You may want to consider adding trick plays that weren’t in your play book at the start of your business season. Use your insight about yourself, your competition and your market and add new ideas, a few things that just may shake up the marketing game a little bit. Perhaps you will have more customers notice what you are doing.

The critical task is consistent implementation. Don’t create a plan and let it sit on the shelf. If it’s not working, even if you are in the middle of the game, revamp it. That is how good coaches come back after half time and win the game. You can always re-think and re-strategize because there is another game tomorrow.

That concludes Action Wednesday. Join us tomorrow for Recon Thursday. To discuss an online or face to face service engagement and enhance the marketing and branding for your organization, contact James Glover: (505) 501-1330 or onceadaymarketing@gmail.com. I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™ and we’ll see you next time.