Branding tips from the road warrior. This past year I’ve been to over 50 airports in the US. I’ve seen and experienced the good, the bad and the most disappointing. For a long time airports have merely been geographic facilities that connect people to places, events or attractions that they were headed to.
Even on the sunniest of days there are floods of feedback forms and follow-up calls bombarding customers about their recent experiences with a brand.
Just yesterday, I received seven requests from companies I do business with.
Some are not too disruptive because they arrive in your email. Others can feel annoying, like pesty flies, especially when they are tied to an experience that has caused you a lot of stress -- like when your Internet goes down or your computer locks up. Next thing you know is that you are behind on your work. Not five seconds after you hang up with a technology support person whose English is not the best calls you to find out how their brand performed.
“Have no fear of perfection – you’ll never reach it.”
Salvador Dali
Some days writing is effortless, fun and comes like breathing, easy and without much effort.
Other days writing can be really hard. It’s like climbing the tallest mountain with no sight of the top and brutal weather beating up every inch of your soul.
My good friend and fellow branding buddy Bruce Turkel is an amazing writer and talent. I’ve been reading his blog ever since we met at a comedy workshop for the National Speakers Association. Recently I [...]
It’s always been a dream of mine to attend Fashion Week in New York City. Thanks to a local charity auction, it became a reality a few weeks ago. In April, Wheels of Success, a nonprofit in Tampa that provides automobiles for people in need, held their annual fundraiser. Like many charity events, they had a live auction offering some very cool items. The package I bid on and won was two tickets to go to a show at the 2014 Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York City.
The last 60 days I’ve been MIA from social media. Except for a few random tweets, my social channels have been inactive.
While social media is seductive, persuasive and can influence behavior and actions that impact my economy and help build my brand, I consciously opted out.
WHY?
My plate has been full with other branding projects, speeches and personal obligations that required my brain and bandwidth.
Brand and branding are a part of everyday life, pop culture and even the media. It’s not uncommon to hear a journalist, a high school kid or even a seemingly out of touch, very mature [...]
I have a love hate relationship with technology. Yes, it allows us to do amazing things, fast and from virtually anywhere. It can also cause serious stress when it lets you down.
As a branding speaker and business consultant, I rely on technology to present ideas and content that educates and inspires my audiences. My presentation software of choice is Power Point and while it has certainly contributed to my success, recently it made me furious.
I’m a MAC user, so this issue may not apply to my PC readers. When I present talks on branding, I insert videos into my Power Point deck. I’ve been doing this for years and by clicking the start arrow button they project sound and display video beautifully.
I’m always on the hunt for cool gizmos that make my world a little better. I recently added a few to my collection and thought they may help you too. I adore my iPad. It keeps me connected and productive especially when I’m sitting idle somewhere waiting for something, my food, my drink or my next big idea.
When I purchased it, I opted for the simple black case with an extended keyboard. That worked for a while until my keyboard battery seemed dead more often than I had patience to deal with. Plus, what was I thinking? That black case was boring and did not symbolize my brand style.
Well I fixed that. I found the perfect lipstick red leather case at the Apple store.
Using video is like adding high-octane fuel to a Hennessey Venom. In case you missed it, because you blinked, this year the Hennessey Venom GT broke the world speed record at 270.49 mph at the Kennedy Space Center.
“Video has been the fastest and most consistently growing medium for content marketing,” said Lori Rosen, Executive Director, Custom Content Council.
Want more traction on your Website and social media channels? Add video.
Branded video is sharable.
It can become viral.
Today everyone can use video.
I recently added video to my branding tool kit. When I speak, I open every brand talk with my Branding Boogie music video. The video tells a story about boring Bob’s brand and his cry for help. This drama sets the tone for my presentation message. Boring will get you nowhere.