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February 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Gathering stories on personal branding with social media

As some of you may know, I am finishing a book on personal branding with social media. As part of the content, I will be including stories from real people who have utilized social media to enhance their personal brands and achieved success. I would love to hear from people who have used social media and personal branding to land jobs, make sales, and reach professional goals.

If you have such a story, please contact me and I would love to do a short interview with you and potentially include you in my book. I look forward to your stories!

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January 20, 2010 By 2 Comments

I’m tired of social media

Gasp! There, I said it. I have a suspicion that others are thinking it, too. At this particular moment I am tired of social media. I have taken a few days to focus on other things and it has been great. I didn’t post anything to Twitter for a few days, I didn’t spend much time on Facebook, and I didn’t read any blogs.

Instead, I did some writing, worked on my book, did some strategic planning for my business, and had some very productive meetings with my team and my networking circles.

I think many times I am guilty of getting caught up in the fast-paced, “new and shiny” appeal of social tools and I get a little carried away in thinking that if I don’t engage in social networks all the time, then I will be missing out on something. Well, as it turns out, there is a world outside of Facebook. Who knew?

So am I actually tired of social media? Not really. Rather I acknowledge that I need to remind myself that social media is simply an evolution in how we communicate. It’s not a replacement for traditional marketing. It’s not a replacement for phone calls or meetings. It’s not a replacement for human contact. We need to look for ways to enhance our communication with social tools. If engaging on a social network adds value to my relationships, then it makes sense. If it distracts me from my goals, then it doesn’t make sense.

You know what else? Simply admitting my burn-out on social media helped me reevaluate how I engage with my networks and actually recharged my interest in jumping back in.

Social media will continue to be a part of my lifestyle. I will continue to learn, develop relationships, educate, and generate leads using social media. However, I will also get better at finding balance in my activities.

Oh look… Twitter is back up. Gotta go!

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January 7, 2010 By 3 Comments

In a ROWE, every day is a snow day

Remember snow days? As a kid, the first big snow of the season was an eagerly-anticipated gift because it could mean that school was canceled, which would be followed by sleeping in, sledding, and other recreational hi-jinks. As we got older, snow days started to affect us in different ways. As employees, snow days could be dreadful because we were still required to drive to an office, which meant getting up earlier for the dangerous commute so we could get to work on time. Or perhaps we had a “flexible” boss who said we could stay home as long as we were working during business hours. The temporary telecommuting was mixed with pangs of guilt as we tried to make sure we looked busy by sending lots of emails and making phone calls while watching TV. Or perhaps the grumpy manager-types among us would become annoyed at the employees who were not committed enough to make the drive to work in the snow. Wow… so much drama and anxiety over some beautiful snow!

As I sit in my cozy living room by the fireplace, I am enjoying the minor snowstorm we’re having here in Indianapolis. Every time we get a good solid snow here, it seems to play havoc with the typical workday. Why? Because most companies in Indianapolis are still stuck in the 8-5, 40-hour week mindset. Because of this, we have things like “rush hour” and “commutes” which become worse during inclement weather. The Mayor of Indianapolis is even urging workers to “leave early” or “stay late” to avoid hitting rush hour in the snow.

In contrast, SpinWeb is a ROWE, which means that we are absolutely unaffected by this lovely day of snow. Why? Because we focus on results, not time or physical location. We have 10 employees but only two of us even showed up at the office today and it was just to briefly pick something up. No one “checked in” at 8am. No memo was sent out urging employees to leave early to avoid rush hour. It simply was not an issue. Emails were sent to clients, conference calls were held, websites were being built, and work got done – just like any other day. I’m sure many of our employees slept in and enjoyed some coffee by their own fireplaces as they watched the snow. Since our phone system is cloud-based, those who called our office got a live person who helped direct their calls to the appropriate person’s cell phone, just like any other day. The technology exists to allow us to break free of the need to sit at a desk with a hardwired phone. With laptops, cell phones, and the right infrastructure in place, we can operate with extreme flexibility under any conditions at at any hour of the day or night.

In a ROWE, the company focuses primary on one thing: what gets done. It doesn’t matter when it gets done, where it gets done, or much time is spent on it. What matters is that work is getting done correctly and on time. Employees take control of their own time and their own lives and everybody wins. That brings some excitement and enjoyment back into work, doesn’t it?

When you work in a ROWE, every day is a snow day. Enjoy!

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November 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Web 2.0 Expo in New York

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of speaking at the Web 2.0 Expo in New York. My session went very well and we got excellent feedback but I also had a wonderful time attending the other presentations and learning from other speakers.

The first session that really piqued my interest was “The Elephant in the Room: Social Media ROI.” It was an interesting session and the presenter did a really good job of keeping the concepts simple and productive, like reminding us that ROI is simply “(Profit – Investment) / Investment” – a concept that we sometimes over-complicate as marketers. I was a little disappointed that the presenter ran out of time because he kept answering questions from the audience rather than finishing his outline.

The next session that I really enjoyed was “Business and Community in the Facebook Era” by Clara Shih. Clara was an outstanding presenter who was very competent and had a smooth and articulate delivery. The subject matter was also more conceptual in nature, rather than technical, which made it easy for the audience to adapt the concepts to individual businesses.

From an entertainment standpoint, the highlight of the conference was “There’s a #Hashtag for That,” a Keynote by Baratunde Thurston. This presentation was absolutely hilarious and very insightful at the same time, covering creative uses for hashtags on Twitter. I’m normally not a fan of using foul language in presentations but he was so good that I was able to enjoy it anyway. Be sure to watch the video.

The last presentation that I enjoyed was “Effective Twitter for Business,” by Sarah Milstein. Sarah was a great presenter and the session was full of solid material but it was a bit more on the beginning level for my taste. It was nice validation, however, for my own Twitter presentations.

The next day was spent preparing and presenting my session, “Social Media – Secret Weapon for SEO.” I presented with John Limbocker and was sponsored by Verio. John, Janine, and everyone I worked with at Verio were fantastic and the session was a great success.

I learned a few other neat tricks, like the fact that you can place a plus sign at the end of any bit.ly URL to see its click-thru stats – even if it’s not your link. Pretty cool!

The Web 2.0 Expo was a great experience and I not only learned some great marketing and technology tips, but also gained a lot of new insights into speaking and presenting and have enjoyed polishing my own presentations as a result. I encourage everyone to take the time to attend conferences like this to continue to push your skills and knowledge to the next level. I will be able to serve my clients and my constituents better as a result of this continuous learning. I look forward to next year’s Web 2.0 Expo!

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November 24, 2009 By 5 Comments

Thanksgiving Reflections

This Thanksgiving, I’d like to share a few thing that I am thankful for, both in business and personal life.

1. My faith. Out of respect for others and their beliefs, this is not something that I bring up too often without invitation. However, I would like to take the opportunity to express my gratitude for my knowledge of Jesus Christ and His plan for us. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Chris of Latter-day Saints and my testimony of this faith and the happiness it brings to me is something I am incredibly thankful for. It is the foundation for my life and guides my way in all things. I am grateful that I have had the opportunity to choose to believe and that I live in a country that offers me the freedom to worship as I see fit.

2. My friends and family. I have been very blessed to have a fantastic group of friends and a family that loves me. My life is constantly enriched by all the conversations, arguments, and great times I share with friends and family.

3. My team at SpinWeb. The people I work with are incredible. They are the smartest, most dedicated, most ethical people I know and our success is a result of their efforts. Our team is among the best in the city and I am grateful every day that I can rely on them. They care about our clients and about each other and it shows.

4. My clients. Without terrific clients, SpinWeb would not exist. Our clients truly “get it” when it comes to online marketing. They listen to us, they communicate with us, and they respect us. Our clients are progressive, forward-thinking business owners, marketing professionals, and executives who have a strong desire to build a better business and go to the next level. I learn a great deal from my clients and I am deeply grateful for the trust they place in me and my team.

5. My country. I am proud to live in the United States and am extremely grateful for the freedom and way of life that I enjoy here. Though certainly not perfect, this country offers unprecedented opportunities for business and personal achievement and I feel very fortunate that I have been able to live here and start a business here.

Thanksgiving is certainly a time for great food and friends and family, but it is also nice to reflect on what we are blessed with and thankful for. Soon I also hope to be thankful for warm pumpkin pie with vanilla ice cream :) Happy Thanksgiving!

Note: this entry is posted in support of Tweetsgiving, by Epic Change. Consider attending the Indianapolis Tweetsgiving Event. You may make a donation online.

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November 20, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Know when to use your hammer

“When you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” I’m sure you’ve heard this phrase before and it makes a great point. In business, we all have hammers and we are all looking for nails. This blog post was inspired by a post by Seth Godin, in which he explains that different professionals will tend to recommend their own “hammers” for the same problem based on what they are familiar with. He goes on to say that it’s a good idea to know when to switch to a different hammer for different circumstances.

It’s a great point and I happen to agree but I would like to approach it from a different angle. I would argue that something more businesses need to get better at is knowing which nails to hit.

Many smart businesses are realizing the value of specializing and narrowing their targets in order to become really great at a few things rather than mediocre at many things. The problem is often that businesses have a hard time admitting it when their hammers don’t fit the nails that are in front of them.

As service providers, businesses need to have a clear picture of what they are good at and what they are not so that they can discern properly and know when to say yes and no to customers. A business that eagerly accepts every customer that comes along is inviting disaster since this can often lead to failed promises, unmet expectations, and inefficient work.

At SpinWeb, we have some great systems, processes, and tools. We know when to use them and who we can help. If we have an opportunity to work with a client and we know that the project will fit our systems well, we are eager to deliver. However, if we are asked to do something that does not fit our processes, tools, and skill set, we are very quick to politely decline the work and make every effort to refer that client to another resource that might be a better fit. If we can do a great job at something, we will. If we cannot, we will say so clearly and honestly. We know when to use our hammers and we want our clients to be happy.

In your business, do you know how to decide when to use your hammer?

Filed Under: Design, Lifestyle, Marketing, Productivity, Technology Tagged With: , , , ,
October 19, 2009 By 4 Comments

Your customers want simplicity, not features

I was extremely amused by a story I saw today about the new Droid smart phone offered by Verizon. I always get mildly amused when I see the next “iPhone killer” but this one in particular got my attention because of the direct head-to-head challenge to the iPhone as seen in this teaser commercial.

Is the commercial cute and a little bit clever? Sure. Is it going to make people buy the Droid instead of the iPhone? I doubt it.

I don’t understand why the Verizon, Motorola, and all the other players in the industry simply continue to remain oblivious. What they (and most companies, for that matter) don’t get is that features do not sell products.

Now I realize that this is a generalization and that there are some cases where features do indeed make a difference but on the whole, it’s not about features. It’s about how your product enhances the life of your customer.

The problem is that most engineers design products for other engineers. Technology-driven people like features. They read manuals and compare features and get excited over technical specs. The rest of us don’t care. The rest of us want something that’s easy to use.

The Droid boasts lots of features that the iPhone doesn’t have. Guess what? Nobody cares. Does my mother care that the Droid has a “real” keyboard? Nope… the iPhone’s software keyboard seems to work just fine. Does my neighbor care that the Droid takes 5-megapixel photos? Nope… what’s wrong with the iPhone’s photos? They look just fine on Facebook. Does my co-worker care that the Droid runs widgets? Huh? What’s a widget?

Guess what the iPhone does that the Droid doesn’t? It enhances your life by being simple. The iPhone is pretty, shiny, colorful, and easy to use. Want to make a call? Press the big green button and you’re only a few clicks away from any phone-related function. Want to check email? Press the big jelly-filled envelope. Want to get on Facebook? Look! There’s a big bubbly icon for that!

Additionally, how many moving parts does the iPhone have that could potentially break? One: the big round “home” button. The rest of the phone is basically one smooth unit with no other moving parts. It’s hard to break something that self-contained.

What most engineers and the companies that employ them fail to realize is that the vast majority of people do not care about a long list of fancy features. They want technology to make their lives simpler, easier, and more productive. They want to accomplish simple things and then they want the technology to get out of the way so they can get on with their lives.

In fact, people will often avoid buying a product if it appears too complicated. What’s the best way to make a product look complicated? Show off a long list of features.

Whether it’s a consumer product, a piece of software, or a website, people want simplicity. They want your product or service to make their lives easier and simpler. This is why “iPhone killers” continue to miss the mark.

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October 14, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Personal Branding with Social Media

You may be familiar with branding as it relates to companies and organizations. A company’s brand is the essence that should affect everything it does. How often, however, do we pay attention to our personal brands?

Yes, a person has a brand. Anyone who works, communicates, or participates in society at any level has a personal brand. Your personal brand is made up of a number of different factors and it influences how you are perceived by others.

Job-seekers should pay especially close attention to their personal branding as it can have significant impact on how successful they are.

Traditionally, personal branding was affected by communication style and appearance. Today, however, social media and online communication has made it possible to strengthen personal branding to a greater extent. The way someone presents himself or herself online can make a big difference in how that person is perceived before any personal contact is made. For this reason, it’s important to manage your personal brand online. What are some ways to do this?

Acquire a clear, professional head shot photo. Use the same photo on all of your profiles. This gives a strong first impression and strengthens your personal brand in multiple places.

Complete your profiles on social networks. If your LinkedIn profile stays stuck at 80% complete, it looks like you don’t care. Many companies don’t want a resume anymore – they want to see your LinkedIn profile. Don’t shortchange yourself.

Collect LinkedIn recommendations. A profile with no recommendations is a red flag which means that person does not do much networking. Reach out to people and recommend others so they will return the favor. A good list of quality recommendations strengthens your personal brand by showing that others value your work.

Polish your writing style. Few things damage a personal brand more than poor writing. If you don’t write well, do some research or take a class and learn to write in a clear, articulate fashion. This will help as you blog, write your own bios, and communicate in general with others.

Create and post presentations on SlideShare. Even if you don’t do any speaking right away, go ahead and put some slide decks together to have them ready. This positions you as an authority in your field which may lead to speaking engagements. Be sure to link to your presentations from LinkedIn using the built-in SlideShare application.

Link your profiles together. Be sure that it’s easy to find you on various networks. Your LinkedIn and Twitter profiles should link to your blog. Your blog should link to all your profiles. Link together as much as you can.

Articulate your goals. When someone asks you how they can help you (whether online or offline), be sure to have a clear, consistent answer. Understand who your target customer is, the type of job you want, or just who you want to meet. Be able to deliver your message in 30 seconds or less. Post your goals in your bio on social networks.

Blog. This can be a difficult thing for some because writing does not come naturally for everyone. However, even a blog that is updated once a month can make a difference. Blog about your perspectives on your profession, your area of expertise, or offer educational content. This helps others get to know you better.

Communicate and distribute content via Twitter. Twitter is a great tool for sharing your content with others and having concise conversations. Balance your Twitter activity between posting your own content and engaging in conversations with others. Don’t forget to re-tweet information from others that you find interesting. What you re-tweet says a lot about you.

This may seem like a lot of work at first, but your personal brand is important. It can affect your communication, your work, and your success. Take care of it and utilize social media to strengthen it.

Filed Under: Lifestyle, Marketing, Technology Tagged With: , , , ,
September 27, 2009 By 3 Comments

How was everything?

“How was everything?”

How often do we hear that? It’s a question often asked as we check out of a hotel, finish dinner at a restaurant, or shop at a store. What answer do you typically give when asked?

If you’re like most people (including myself), you answer with a simple “fine”.

Recently I checked out of a hotel and was asked this same question: “how was everything?” This time I said “almost everything was great but the Internet access at the hotel was terrible. It was slow and unreliable.” After I expressed this, the woman behind the counter looked a bit startled and muttered something to the effect of “I’m sorry about that” without any further discussion. No offer to submit further feedback, no offer to apply a credit to my bill, nothing.

I often wonder… if customer service representatives don’t want to hear honest feedback, why ask the question?

As consumers, we need to speak up more often and hold service providers accountable. By responding with “fine” we contribute to the (sometimes) status quo of mediocrity. If no one ever complains about the Internet access at the hotel, what incentive is there to fix it?

By the same token, businesses need to be ready to listen to customer feedback and act on it. If your customer service representatives are trained to ask for feedback, they need to also be equipped with a mechanism for capturing that feedback and placing it in the proper channels to create change.

Are you giving honest feedback every time? Are you listening when you receive that feedback?

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September 15, 2009 By 1 Comment

My Tour of Gleaners Food Bank: An Awe-inspiring Example of Giving in Indiana

I had the pleasure of touring Gleaners Food Bank today with Victoria Petersen. Victoria’s title is “Major Gifts Officer” and she is responsible for working with donors to keep Gleaners stocked with enough supplies to feed the hungry in Indiana. Touring the facility was a humbling and awe-inspiring experience and I would like to share it with you.

First, some facts:

  • 83% of IPS students qualify for a free lunch or reduced lunch program
  • Every dollar donated to Gleaner provides 6 meals to a hungry person
  • There are 83,590 children living in poverty in the food bank’s service area
  • There are 225,075 people overall living in poverty in the food bank’s service area
  • Many of the people assisted by Gleaners are living on approximately $500 a month

Some of these figures were very shocking to me and very eye-opening. As I started the tour, I was immediately impressed by the scale and the efficiency of the Gleaners warehouse. Boxes upon boxes and crates of food were stacked floor to ceiling waiting to be categorized, stored, inspected, and processed. Though Gleaners has staff members, much of the day-to-day work is done by volunteers.

As Victoria led me through the vast structure that fills an entire city block, she told me about the programs specifically designed for children and seniors and how everything is carefully organized and accounted for to ensure maximum efficiency. She showed me a doorway in which a board member had supplied a makeshift metal fixture to drain off excess water that was seeping in through a crack in the ceiling so that they would not have to spend money to replace the structure. She also introduced me to many of the staff members and volunteers who make it possible for Gleaners to feed the hungry.

Gleaners Food Bank has been under the stewardship of Pamela Altmeyer, President and CEO, for over 30 years. Victoria had nothing but glowing words of praise and admiration for Pamela and in short, communicated to me in no uncertain terms that Gleaners has been Pamela’s entire life’s work. The respect and awe in her voice was unmistakable.

What also impressed me about Gleaners was the close partnerships that the food bank has with major corporate donors. In particular, Victoria spoke with deep respect when impressing upon me how instrumental Kroger has been in helping Gleaners. Kroger is the largest donor of both food and money to the food bank and has been for nearly three decades, during which the grocer has contributed almost $1 Million in donations to Gleaners. Since learning this, I will be making more of an effort to shop at Kroger whenever possible. I am impressed by the level of generosity displayed by this major grocery chain.

My tour of Gleaners gave me a powerful experience and lifted my spirits. It was a pleasure to see so many people working together to fight hunger in Indiana. I very much appreciate Victoria’s time in telling me the story of Gleaners and giving me a behind the scenes look into how the food bank functions.

Victoria would love to take others on a tour, as well. Anyone who would like to take a tour or is interested in donating time, money, or food to Gleaners should contact:

Victoria Petersen
Major Gifts Officer
(317) 925-0191
vpetersen@gleaners.org

I have also posted photos from my tour on Facebook. Please feel free to browse through them for a behind the scenes look into the daily operations at Gleaners Food Bank. I highly recommend taking a tour.

Now, I’m off to make a donation to Gleaners.

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