Archive for November, 2009

Human Branding Part II: Writing a Brand YOU North Star

Last week, I was delighted that my friend, Bryna Jones, and the good folks at her company, Engine Communications, invited me to write a post on Building Brand YOU. It was a tricky request in that there’s a lot of information to share when discussing a methodology for human branding on the web.  Space wise, it takes much more than what’s easily digestible in one post. So with that in mind, if you’d like to read up on the part 1, the Know Thyself part of the process, please go back to that last link and read the piece on Engine’s blog.  Hey, while you’re there, why not take some time to read some other posts too.  These folks produce really insightful content that, in my opinion, is worth your time and eyeballs. But today, let’s pick up where we left off with our friends up in Ontario.  You ready?  Here we go… Part II:  Writing a Brand YOU North Star In our last discussion, we talked about looking inward to really “Know Thyself.”  You learned how to apply tools like the Meyers Briggs assessment, SWOT analysis, journaling and few other tools that help you as you follow the path to self-discovery. Next, you’ll want to take the information you’ve gathered and build your Brand YOU strategy.  When developing strategy, one of the most effective ways to begin is by focusing first on simplification.  In brand strategy, that means boiling down what we want to communicate into one clear and succinct sentence.  My friend and teacher, Artie Isaac, used to call this the North Star Statement, during the days of his Columbus Ohio Ad Agency, Young Isaac. Why the North Star?  Wikipedia does a nice job of telling that story for me: “The North Star has historically been used for [...]

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What I’m Thankful For In 2009

Happy Thanksgiving, friends.  I hope that by the time you read this, you’re surrounded by family and friends, already full of turkey, and have just woke up from a football-induced nap on the couch.  While I always try to focus my blog on you in hopes to give you ideas and add value to life, sometimes I write for my own therapy. Today is one of those days.  But who knows, maybe something below will help remind you of what you’re thankful for and why. What I’m Thankful For In 2009 For my son, Kaden, a healthy three-year old.  He’s outgoing, stubborn and full of energy.  God knows, he’s just like me.  He’s already showing signs of being a talented communicator, and for all this, for him, I am thankful. For my new son Jacob, also a healthy three-year-old, who is so very different.  He’s calm, collective and amazingly orderly.  Jacob has a process for everything.  He’s polite and sweet, and always makes his greatest effort to do what is right.  After completely changing his universe, he’s accepted me as a Dad and as a friend.  For Jacob, and our relationship, I am thankful. For every time I get to wrestle with my two boys on the living room floor, I am thankful. For Sarah, and all she has given me in guidance, support, funding, patience, tolerance, love and the look she gives me when we’re together, I am thankful. For Kaden’s mom, Amy, and the friendship we continue to have.  For her devotion to making sure Kaden has everything he needs, and providing him with the love that only a mother can give, I am thankful. For all of the sets of grandparents and the love and support they shower upon my family, I am thankful. For folks like [...]

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How To Use Facebook Fan Pages & Get Results: Making the Case for Organizations

I’ve been helping the wonderfully talented Sarah Bednar (disclosure: my fiance :)) with some ideas on how her non-profit, LifeCare Alliance, can use their Facebook Fan Page as one more productive business tool in their communications tool box.  She’s done a great job of building things up and getting people involved. Watching her figure out how LifeCare will use their page has sparked an idea for a series of posts on the subject.  A lot of these ideas will come from strategies and tactics we used when building out the huber+co. page, along with some pages for other huber clients like the Arena District Athletic Club, the Columbus Marathon and others.  We’ll also look at some other pages done by local Columbus folks, as well as some larger companies investing time and energy in the context of Facebook. Sound good?  Nice.  Let’s begin… Why a Facebook Fan Page is a Good Idea for Your Organization There are a ton of reasons why Facebook Fan Pages, when used well, can be so powerful.  Essentially, organizations can use Facebook to build large affinity groups, who are willing to receive content updates on a regular basis and can be motivated by those communications. At the core, the concept of a Facebook Fan Page provides all the benefits of a traditional database marketing tool, but with the advantage of fostering open-forum, two-way communication between an organization and it’s audience. One of the key benefits of Facebook Fan Pages lies in ease of conversion.  In it’s simplest form, conversion means asking someone to take an action, and having them actually do what you would like them to do.  We’ve been converting people on the web for a long time, from garnering email newsletter signups, to capturing leads via web forms.  In more recent years, conversion [...]

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