Your brand is more than your logo, name or tagline — it’s the holistic experience your prospects, clients and others have with your organization.

Your brand is what you stand for. The promise you make and the persona you convey.  And while it includes your visual identity, your brand lives in the day-to-day interaction you have with your market:

Brands are critical.

Brands make you stand out among your competition.

Brands enhance your competitive position.

Brands bring your value proposition to life.

Brands are profitable and contribute to the bottom line, build company equity and overall client loyalty.

Your brand consistently communicates to your prospects and customers why they should engage with you!

To learn more about how we partner with clients to build their brands, please contact us.

A local church recently quoted Gandhi in its signage, truncating his original statement to: “Be the change you want to see.”

Marketing geek that I am, I was reminded immediately of a correlation with content management: “Be the media you want others to see.”

Yes, in a pre-Internet world a huge chunk of our society couldn’t even imagine, consumers relied on traditional media companies to fill their information needs. Today, of course, this is no longer true, and companies can deliver tangible benefits to prospects and customers through relevant, useful content.

From offering solutions to challenges to sharing news of interest to offering insights on issues to (my personal favorite) bringing a smile to someone’s face, corporate Web sites are becoming the media of choice for many buyers.

And this makes sense. Consider: No one knows more about you and your business or organization than you. And objectivity? People gave up on that long ago. They don’t need buffers any more, believing in their own abilities to see through the “sell” to the product or service being sold.

Of course, companies in some industries have been doing this sort of thing for years. An obvious example can be found in home-improvement store sites, where you can learn to do all sorts of do-it-yourself projects – and, of course, buy all the products you would need to complete them.

Given this example, why doesn’t it make as much sense for consumers to find trusted commercial providers for all their other information needs?

So take a look at your own web copy and ask, “If I were a customer or prospect, what would make me come back to this site?”

As with so many things, it’s all about relationships, which reminds me of another quote I saw recently, this one on Content Marketing Today: “By delivering content that is vital and relevant to your target market,” it said, “you will begin to take on an important role in their lives.”

That’s pretty powerful stuff.

And catnip to marketers such as us.

At Next-Mark, public relations crisis management is one our of main areas of focus. It can take a company many years to build and sustain a strong reputation. The downside is that a good reputation can be destroyed in seconds. Between word of mouth, media communications, social media influence and other online distribution of information, your reputation is always at risk.

It’s important to stay proactive when it comes to reputation management. For example, having a plan of action for when a crisis happens or taking steps to make sure conflicts are avoided. These six tips recently reported on www.mashable.com will help you in knowing how to handle a reputation crisis.

1. Don’t Pretend a Crisis Is Not Happening

Having a response ready in a timely manner is important. Delaying on this could make you pay the price. Also, you do not want to over respond. This is just as bad as not responding at all.

2. Don’t Make an Empty Gesture

Apologizing for apologizing only comes across as lazy and uninspired.

3. Don’t Refuse to Backtrack

Backtracking is simply meant in regards to covering your tracks and not being afraid to admit you were wrong. Social media is the perfect location to communicate directly to your consumers about what your next steps will be to fix the problem, use it.

4. Develop Channels of Communication

Develop your social media by creating a Facebook, Twitter and blog. Combining this with the creation of a strong company will put you in a good position for the future. By having the social media pages, it allows you convey messaging by using video, email and webchats.

5. Establish a Crisis Communication Response Team

This will be beneficial for anything someone sees on the Internet or external stakeholders. Having a response team in place will create immediate attention to the areas needed. Be careful though, some comments or “rumors” may not need attention. There are people that want attention from you and post things that are untrue. If you know it’s going to fall under the radar and not create a potential disaster, it may not be worth your time. Remember, your company must drive the response and messaging.

6. Become Influential and Change Perceptions

Connect with your audience. Becoming a role model and being influential is important. If not, your may fall under the radar yourself, so speak about things that will influence others positively. Use these channels to focus the conversation around your brand so when a crisis does arise, you have more control over the perception.

Remember, a reputation can be tarnished in a matter of seconds, so following the proper steps in a crisis is critically important. Don’t hope that your crisis will blow over, it won’t. Next-Mark has significant experience in public relations crisis management. If you are ever unsure how a situation should be handled, or the proper steps you should take, don’t hesitate to contact our team.

PR Daily recently published a story on 21 words commonly overused in business and pleaded a case for why we may want to use some other term.  However, it seems that we avoid these as much as possible, but there are some cases in meetings and emails in which substituting one word or phrase for an entire sentence is more efficient.

Here are a few that fall into that category and some of their thoughts on how we “utilize” these words:

1. Outside the box. Although this phrase originally meant creative thinking, its overuse has twisted its definition to mean the exact opposite. As one PR Daily reader put it, those who use it should be put in a box—and kept there.

2. Tee-off/tee-up. The person who insists upon deploying golf references should be forced to wear plaid knickers and a jaunty cap in the boardroom. And keep your mashie niblick to yourself, pal.

3. Utilize. It means “use.” There is not a single case in which “utilize” is preferred.

4. Noodle. You hear it in this manner: “Let’s noodle some solutions.” Next time someone says it, offer this suggestion: “How about we kimchi them instead.”

5. Paradigm shift. The word paradigm means almost nothing. According to Dictionary.com, it refers to “a set of forms all of which contain a particular element, especially the set of all inflected forms based on a single stem or theme,” or “an example serving as a model; pattern.” You lost me at set of forms.

6. Bandwidth. This is what happens when IT speak spreads to other departments: “Are you sure you have the bandwidth to take on that assignment?” As one PR Daily urged: “Just say capacity, or ability, or time.”

7. Leverage. A perennial favorite. Save it for Happy Hour, when you can leverage a beverage.

8. That being said. Translation: Everything I just said is meaningless. It’s also grammatically wrong, but just don’t use it.

9. Learnings. Don’t add an “s” to this collective gerund to try to make it plural. Just don’t. If you mean “lessons,” learn to say “lessons.”

10. Solutioneering. A study from last year found that “solution” is among the most commonly used words in press releases. Adding “eer” and then “ing” only exacerbates a dire problem.

11. Dial up/dial down. Next time someone says this phrase, take out your phone and ask for the number.

12. Leading. This word earns the Ubiquitous Award in corporate writing.

13. Socialize. To get an idea of the inanity of this word, go home tonight and tell your spouse: “Sweetheart, as you’ve probably noticed, there are a few issues with our relationship that we need to socialize.” Better yet, just take our word for it.

14. Wheelhouse. There are two instances in which it’s perfectly acceptable to use this word: When you’re piloting a riverboat, or when you’re broadcasting a baseball game and the batter has just pummeled a hanging curveball. It is unacceptable when you’re pitching a reporter (unless he or she is a sports reporter, in which case toss that story right into their wheelhouse).

15. Deliverables. When the U.S. Postal Service gets into the snack business, this will be its first product. “Try cheddar-flavor Deliverables, now with even more of that cheesy flavor you love.” Yeah, it’s cheesy all right.

16. Prezo. When you hear this abbreviation for presentation— “Hey, sweet prezo today, bro”—run as fast as you can. The same goes for the word “convo.”

17. Value-add. Which do you prefer: “We hope this article added some value to your day,” or, “We hope this article is a value-add.” If you opted for the latter, you might just be a PR toolbag.

Any others you’d care to add?

Next-Mark client, San Diego-based, Indyme Solutions, wanted us to create a video that demonstrates how their “Smart Response” call buttons are useful within any supermarket. With Indyme Smart Response, supermarket in-store teams instantly know when and where a shopper desires assistance, a cashier needs support, a perimeter door unexpectedly opens, a camera detects a suspicious event, and much more. It delivers real-time awareness resulting in prompt actions that build sales for their clients.

The Next-Mark team was responsible for all aspects of this production including writing, content development, location selection and management, video production and editing in full collaboration with our client, Steve Deal, CEO of Indyme Solutions. Special thanks to our team including Rob Welling, Bonnie Limbach, Shannon Welling, Brad Heiny, Jamie Robinson, Shasten Snellgroves and Chris Depken.

Corporate videos provide a critical marketing channel for our clients including social media postings, website content videos, email marketing campaigns and a multitude of other communications opportunities. When your reading the text on a website, it gives you a general idea of what a product is about. A video provides rich visual content, which creates a whole level of new insight into a product or service.

You can view this video on YouTube or at www.Indyme.com.

“To be buzzed about is every brand’s desire in the digital age,” Said Pr Daily.com. Today, the new measure of marketing success is calculated by the amount of “likes” you have on Facebook or how recognized you are within the social media world. Social media has created a whole new concept of marketing, but it isn’t necessarily easy to accomplish.

Here are three ways to bump up your “likes” on Facebook.

1. Post regularly

When you are handling a social media page you want to post daily, but DON’T over post. This keeps you in the loop of people checking their news feed regularly. Don’t post just anything. Post things that your target market will find attractive or interesting; For example, a link to your blog, event or give-away.

Also, try and keep your postings fresh. People like seeing new information. This will create attention on the subject and potentially cause more people to “like” you.

2. Advertise

Advertising on Facebook is an easy way to boost your “likes” and it’s cheap (sometimes). Create a budget you would like to spend each day and set your advertising limit to that amount. The advertising will generate exposure all across Facebook itself. The more name recognition, the better.

3. Incentives

Everyone loves free stuff. “Like our page and receive a free weekly pass to our gym,” is a perfect example of how to approach this. You can give away anything you like, but the key is to give away things people want.

You also want your incentive to be fit for your budget. Don’t go spending all your money on incentives and not have any left for advertising.

4. Newsletter

When you send out your newsletter every month/week, put a link on it so your receivers can “like” your page directly from there. This makes it very simple for direct marketing and you don’t have to deal with the traffic of Facebook.

TOP 10

According to Pr Daily.com, the list below is the top 10 brands in social media.

1. Subway

2. Cheerios

3. Amazon.com

4. History Channel

5. Ford

6. Discovery Channel

7. Lowe’s

8. Olive Garden

9. YouTube

10. Google

Perhaps one of the most influential business books I have ever read was “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” by Dr. Steven Covey.  His passing this week marked an emotional milestone for me when I think back at how many times I have thought about this book and shared it with others over the past 20+ years.

Somehow this book fell out of vogue, but the content is timeless.  The sad part of it all is that the next generation of business leaders does not have the familiarity of his teaching as we did in the 1990s.

Thought this might be a good time for a refresher:

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (source: Wikipedia)

▪                Habit 1: Be Proactive

Take initiative in life by realizing that your decisions (and how they align with life’s principles) are the primary determining factor for effectiveness in your life. Take responsibility for your choices and the consequences that follow.

▪                Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind

Self-discover and clarify your deeply important character values and life goals. Envision the ideal characteristics for each of your various roles and relationships in life. Create a mission statement.

▪                Habit 3: Put First Things First

Prioritize, plan, and execute your weekly tasks based on importance rather than urgency. Evaluate whether your efforts exemplify your desired character values, propel you toward goals, and enrich the roles and relationships that were elaborated in Habit 2.

▪                Habit 4: Think Win-Win

Genuinely strive for mutually beneficial solutions or agreements in your relationships. Value and respect people by understanding a “win” for all is ultimately a better long-term resolution than if only one person in the situation had gotten his way.

▪                Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood

Use empathic listening to be genuinely influenced by a person, which compels them to reciprocate the listening and take an open mind to being influenced by you. This creates an atmosphere of caring, respect, and positive problem solving.

▪                Habit 6: Synergize

Combine the strengths of people through positive teamwork. This helps achieve goals no one person could have done alone. Get the best performance out of a group of people through encouraging meaningful contribution and modeling inspirational and supportive leadership.

▪                Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

Balance and renew your resources, energy, and health to create a sustainable, long-term, effective lifestyle. It primarily emphasizes on exercise for physical renewal, prayer, (mediation, yoga, etc.) and good reading for mental renewal. It also mentions service to the society for spiritual renewal.

After he published this book, Dr. Covey went on to build a powerful thought leader empire of additional books, seminars, etc. building a brand recognized worldwide.  Although this content is available for generations to come, his greatest gift will perhaps be the values he communicated.  Thanks Dr. Covey! 

In a recent speech, I urged caution – or at least contemplation – before launching something as demanding as a blog.

I’m a fine one to talk.

Not too long ago, in this very space, I offered some advice and discussed my personal blog (blgblog.relatingtome.com). Intended as a humorous take on my adventures in on-line genealogy, it was a subject that, given the breadth of a family tree – promised a veritable tsunami of material.

One of my warnings to would be-bloggers at that time was not to start such an endeavor without a stock of “evergreen” items that can go in any time, creating a backlog to take the pressure off.

Now I would add, don’t get cocky and start posting every day.

Like I did.

In said speech I also added another proviso:  Never unnecessarily limit your topic.

Like I did.

I mean, at first it was great fun, with a steady flow of ancestral mishaps from having a panther fall on one’s head to avoiding an Indian attack by hanging on to the tail of a stampeding cow. I also got to report items such as, “I’m related to President Obama,” something I never thought I’d ever say. (Seriously, it’s right up there with “I lost 10 pounds on a healthy diet” and “Nothing for me, thanks.”)

Then – nuthin. At least nothing useable. Suddenly, every single person on every twig of my family tree either lived an unexamined life or did things so despicable I wanted to wash my soul.

So there it was:  The dreaded proverbial white space unfilled and unflinching – something I’d never let happen to a client, but managed to inflict upon myself.

Since it’s always far better to learn from someone else’s mistakes, I now offer Blogging Advice Revisited: When starting a blog, have some copy or copy ideas on hand. Post regularly but not too often. Stick to your topic when you can, but establish the right to post ancillary items of interest.

Hopefully, that’s my last word on the subject

As marketing organizations struggle to better understand and justify their role and purpose, there are a limited amount of tools available to succinctly measure marketing’s and public relations’ effectiveness.  Many businesses are conducting Marketing and Public Relations Audits to gain new insight into their productivity and effectiveness.  Audits can be a very formal process (conducted by an outside firm) or a more informal process (facilitated by an organizational leader). Either way, audits need to be objective and comprehensive. Marketing and Public Relations Audits thoroughly examine and evaluate marketing and communications practices and results.  They offer a baseline for performance measurement and a framework for effective future planning.

Marketing and Public Relations Audits help organizations identify their most urgent marketing and communications needs.  It can be a time-consuming operation, but the information gained can provide invaluable insight and provide strategic direction.  The audit includes a comprehensive review of the company’s marketing and public relations environment, communications objectives, business strategies and tactical activities.  The audit identifies operational strengths and weaknesses and recommends changes to the company’s marketing and public relations programs.  Each Marketing and Public Relations Audit is unique to the individual organization.  The audit should serve as a basis of discussion and review and not necessarily be a definitive action plan.

The primary benefits of conducting an audit include: new learnings and measurement for past and future successes; a quantitative benchmark for future evaluative studies; and a fair and consistent appraisal of past and future performance.  Most importantly, audits can serve as an important basis for annual marketing and public relations plans.

When an organization cuts marketing and public relations spending, it cuts the one function whose sole purpose is to increase business!  By engaging in an audit process, organizations can better assess the functionality and effectiveness of their marketing and public relations departments.  The marketing and public relations audit becomes an essential tool for business success.  If you are trying to determine if a Marketing and Public Relations Audit is right for you, please give us a call.