Social Media Is Not About You

February 3, 2012

It's not about you. 

There is a great deal of hesitation in the building products industry around whether or not to add social media to the marketing agenda. You all know by now that I am a firm believer that social media is here to stay and is a fantastic way to converse with and listen to your audience like never before.

There is also some confusion as to what social media is about. The simple answer, it’s not about you. It’s about your customers. I came across some enlightening dialogue this week from a blogger that I admire, @margieclayman. I think she sums it up nicely. (Thank you, Margie)

Enjoy! 

Social Media should not be about you.

It should not be about you getting a high Klout score.

It should not be about you getting perks.

Social Media should not be about you gaining ground as you tear others down.

It should not be about you calling out everyone (and their mothers and their fathers.).

It  should not be about you scraping money off of people who believe you can help them.

Social Media should not be about you building your case as to why you are the greatest human ever.

It should not be about you making a list.

It should not be about you bad-mouthing a list you didn’t make.

Social Media should not be about you and your ego.

It should not be about you finding a platform where  you can feed unadulterated BS to other people who may buy it.

It should not be about lying to see if you can get away with it.

Social Media should not be about you recreating definitions to better suit your purposes.

It should not be about you offering silver bullets.

It should not be about you maliciously spreading rumors that ruin peoples’ lives.

Social Media should not be about you. It should be about the people you help, the companies you grow, and what you are able to accomplish with this new and powerful tool.

So I’m interested to know, do you agree with this? What do you think Social Media is about?

 

Allison DeFord POSTED BY: Allison DeFord| Leave a comment

Create the Life You Want

January 5, 2012

According to the Chinese zodiac, 2012 is the Year of the Dragon–an auspicious symbol of good fortune and power. Sounds good, right?! I say, “bring it!” After weathering several extremely challenging years I think we’re all up for a positive and powerful new year. Let’s shake it up!

Funny thing is, some of us think good fortune and power simply befall us, like rain or winning the lottery. I’d rather not leave it to chance. So, can we make good fortune and power happen? How much control do we really have? I have a sign that sits above my desk that reads:


 

 

 

 

 

This inspires me every day to be proactive instead of reactive. As Wayne Gretsky said, “don’t skate where the puck is, skate to where it will be.” Often times we “think” ahead, but don’t ever make a plan. As the great Steve Chandler says, “When the WHY is clear, the HOW will appear.” I love this! And it’s true. Instead of just “thinking” about our goals this year, let’s take the “year of the dragon” by the tail and shake things up. CREATE THE LIFE YOU WANT.

I hear the same phrases echoed all the time within the building products industry…”I take two steps forward and three steps back.” “I could spend all day just answering email and voicemails.” “I’m trying to do more with less.” “I don’t remember the last time I spent time thinking about the business.” Any of this sound familiar? This year can be different. All you have to do is create it.

I’ve been on a personal journey for the last couple of years. A journey to find clarity and balance. After working with an amazing mentor and coach (Peleg Top), engaging in workshops and Mastermind groups and pouring through countless books and blog posts, several things have become crystal clear.

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To create the life you want:

[ 1 ]  STOP
Really! Just stop. Commit to spend time just thinking every day. Even if it’s just 15 minutes. Allow yourself the time to be quiet and just think. You’ll be amazed at what percolates in that space that you opened up. (I didn’t think I had the time to stop either; give it a try.) Create that space for yourself.

[ 2 ] START WITH THE WHY
When the WHY is clear the HOW will appear. Ask yourself why you want to accomplish something… why you want to lose weight OR exercise more OR gain market share OR reposition your brand. If I say, “I WANT to exercise more,” do you think I’m actually going to stick to that? Accomplish anything? Now, if I say, “I am going to exercise more because I want to lower my cholesterol by 50 points and lose 20 pounds by June.” The likelihood of me actually exercising more is inevitable because I have two distinct WHYs. The HOWs start showing up all around me…the gym across the street, the workout DVD’s I bought and didn’t use yet, the dog that needs walked. Start with why.

[ 3 ] PRACTICE SELF LOVE
I know this is a subject that women are very familiar with. We discuss it often. But I don’t know that men are really talking about self love. (Now, get your mind out of the gutter) Most of us partake in varying degrees of self-criticism on a daily basis. You may be the guy whose dad never told him he was good enough or the gal with major body dysmorphia OR maybe, you’re already practicing self love every day and you can move on to number 4. The need to practice self love has never been greater. There are many ways to do this. Talk to yourself positively every day. Write yourself love letters. Smile in the mirror. The HOW, in this case, isn’t the hard part. It’s the WHY. Practice self love because it will have a profound impact on how you show up in every situation and on those around you. PROFOUND! Start loving yourself more every day.

[ 4 ] DON’T BE AFRAID TO FAIL
I was asked by my mentor what I would do if I wasn’t afraid. Have you ever asked yourself this question? So many times it’s fear that stops us from reaching our goals. Fear is only an emotion, not a brick wall. Why do we give it so much power? What are we afraid of? Most of the time it’s failure and/or rejection. You avoid asking a girl out for fear she’ll reject you, right?! My mentor also has a wonderful saying that addresses this very thing…“Yes Lives in the Land of No.” (thank you, Peleg) Each no is one step closer to a yes. Whether it’s dating or business. Trying answering the question, “What would I do if I wasn’t afraid?” 5,127 prototypes later, just ask James Dyson.

[ 5 ] BE ENCHANTING
Guy Kawasaki put out a great book in 2011 called, “Enchantment: the Art of Changing Hearts, Minds and Actions.” Kawasaki argues that in business and personal interactions, your goal is not merely to get what you want, but to bring about a voluntary, enduring, and delightful change in other people. How do you become enchanting? He recommends the following attitudes and actions:
• Be a baker, not an eater; a baker sees the world as an opportunity. I can bake bigger pies. Different flavors. Different shapes. It’s unlimited. 
• Default to “Yes”; think about what you can do for people then say yes and do it.
• Create products that are DICEE (Deep, Intelligent, Complete, Empowering and Elegant) Create products and programs that will engage people.
Become enchanting. You’ll connect on a deeper level and reap the rewards. 

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No, this isn’t a complete list! This is obviously a very partial list of of essential attributes and actions you can adopt this year…right now. You can create the life you want. Slow down, enjoy regular think-time, take actionable steps to meet your goals, be good to yourself and enchant those around you. Now, go take 2012 by the tail and don’t just make it a great year…make it a great life.

Here’s to connecting on a deeper level this year.

Year of the Dragon Symbol

 

Allison DeFord POSTED BY: Allison DeFord| Leave a comment

I Dare You to Stop!

November 29, 2011

 

In a recent strategy meeting with some of our favorite clients they got to do something they haven’t done in a long time. They stopped and took a breath! They created a 2012 mind map for their brand. With crayons. They had FUN. They took time to THINK. This was just one of their comments:

“I don’t remember the last time I just sat and thought about the business.”

Sound familiar? Yeah, I see your head nodding feverishly. It’s something, isn’t it?! You’re in a position to lead and develop people and instead you’re busy playing fire fighter every day. This is the ‘norm’, right?! It’s what you have to do to keep up. If you slowed down or STOPPED you’d never get everything done. Work would pile up. Fires would burn out of control. People would be let down. Consider this idea from leading author, speaker and coach, Steve Chandler.

“The best seminar I could ever really give would be to put the people in a room, give them a blank pad, have silence pumped in, and allow them to simply sit and jot ideas down about what they would like to create in future days, and how they might like to bring miracles about and why. That would be a wonderful, wonderful eight hours for them, unlike anything they had ever done in their lives ever before—a full day of silence. Just with their own thoughts, because so many inspired things bubble up. That’s why people say they get their best ideas on vacation, or they get their best ideas in the shower—it’s the only time they’re away from this frantic, addicted inner mental activity.”

I’ve personally been inspired by many of his books, but this year I had the distinct pleasure of spending an entire day with Steve. It was like the difference between reading about the Eiffel Tower and actually experiencing it in person. Steve talks alot about slowing down. STOPPING. THINKING. At first, it sounded crazy to me. I thought, stopping and thinking…how’s that going to help me get more done? Reach customers? Be more successful? Absurd, right?!

It actually works. Let’s get started.

1. CHOOSE A TIME —Yes, actually schedule time to think. You put everything else in your calendar—workouts, meetings, reviews, sales calls. So, schedule some time to THINK. The key is to start small. Carve a 15 minute window into your day. The ticket is to create the space. “If you build it they will come.” When you create the space and honor it by “showing up”, the ideas come.

2. PICK A SPOT —I have found that you have to plan ahead. Decide in advance where this sacred space will take place. Mine has happened everywhere from the center of my garage floor (not kidding), to the back yard, the beach or a local Starbucks. Consistency is good, but some people thrive on variety, so you experiment and decide what works for you.

3. SHOW UP —If you schedule a meeting with yourself, make sure you honor it and show up. Don’t brush it off because something else comes up. Treat it as a true sacred space. A premium chunk of YOU time. You deserve it. You need it. You’ll be better for it.

4. SHUT UP —This may be new for some of you, but I recommend you start with silence. No headphones. No iphone. No pals. Just you and your thoughts. You may be surprised what’s brewing up in that intelligent noggin of yours. Don’t be worried if nothing profound comes to you the first time. Or the thirty-first time. The point is just to be. To think. To stop.

It’s not essential, but having a journal handy or your favorite notebook and a pen at the ready isn’t a bad idea. I liken it to those nights you can’t sleep and churn up some amazing ideas, but forget to write them down. Then morning comes and you can’t remember one of those brilliant epiphanies.

I’ve accomplished more in the last year by slowing down then I ever thought possible. Giving myself permission and the space to stop and think. It’s a crazy notion, but one that yields amazing results. So, I dare you to stop! Try it for one week and let me know how it goes. (get all crazy and use some crayons)

Have fun!

“Success is a process of diverting one’s scattered forces into one powerful channel.” -James Allen

Allison DeFord POSTED BY: Allison DeFord| 1 Comment

Why We Do What We Do

November 10, 2011

Courtesy of our heroes at Café Creative KFT

Lori Sallee POSTED BY: Lori Sallee| 2 Comments

We Don’t Need Social Media

November 3, 2011

Have you ever had this thought? Uttered it out loud? “We don’t need social media. Our customers won’t find us there.”

We hear this phrase often in the building products industry. Ironically, it’s reminiscent of 10 or 15 years ago when we recommended clients put up a website. They didn’t think that was a necessary or viable marketing vehicle either and, now, can’t imagine NOT having one.

The point is this, social media may seem like new and unchartered territory, but it has quickly become part of our culture, much like websites and reality TV. Obviously, one better than the other, but I digress. Since this has become a recurring conversation, it only feels natural to talk about it here, with you.

Take a look at this and consider something we call, the POWER of ONE:

The Power Of One

As you may know, there aren’t loads of current social media statistics directly related to the building products industry, however, this should not be a deterrent. Let’s think bigger, for a moment, and consider the super-set, “U.S. adults.” Then let’s drill down and focus on a more relevant sub-set, “B2B companies.” Consider these recent stats from SocialMediaB2B.com:

Experience

+ 53% of B2B companies have been using social media for longer than one year

Budgets

+ 68% of B2B companies spend 5% or less of their revenue on marketing

+ 40% of B2B companies expect their 2012 marketing budgets to increase

+ Social media spending will increase 3% in the next 12 months and 9% over the next five years for B2B companies

Social Media Mix

+ 66% of B2B companies use social networks in their marketing mix

+ 7. 34% of B2B companies include blogs in their marketing mix

+ 58% of B2B companies using social networks are using LinkedIn

+ 9. 57% of companies have acquired a customer through LinkedIn

Blogging

+ 57% of companies with a corporate blog have acquired a customer through blogging

+ 72% of companies who blog weekly have acquired a customer through blogging, 78% have who blog daily. And 89% of companies who blog multiple times a day have acquired a customer through blogging.

Metrics and Analytics

+ Only 28% of B2B companies calculate ROI on even some of their marketing campaigns

Mobile Trends

+ 52% of BlackBerry users are planning to switch to iPhone 5

+ 59% of B2B Decision Makers Researching with Smartphones

 

Inbound vs. Outbound Marketing
Are you marketing the same old way? Let’s take a look. (Pssst! This has alot to do with social media)

Outbound (OLD)

  • one way communications
  • customers are sought out
  • rarely educates or entertains
  • not alot of value

Inbound (NEW)

  • two way communications
  • customers come to you
  • entertain or educate
  • provides value

Inbound marketing costs 62% less per lead than traditional outbound marketing. That’s SIXTY-TWO! 3 out of 4 inbound marketing channels cost less than outbound. Inbound marketing is also trackable, so calculating ROI (Return on Influence and Investment) is easier to do. The internet has revolutionized how we find, buy, sell and interact with brands and their products and services. The new age of Inbound marketing is about providing added value and earning customer loyalty.

Putting social media into your marketing mix is a cost effective way to engage with customers like never before—positively impacting your sales team, bottom line and ultimately your brandhood. The conversations may live online, but the reach is everywhere. Just because you’re not in the conversation, doesn’t mean it’s not happening without you. 

It only takes the POWER of ONE to make a difference. 

 

Allison DeFord POSTED BY: Allison DeFord| Leave a comment

Say Something New Inside a Fortune Cookie

October 27, 2011

5 Ways to Become a Star at Your Next Trade Show

So what do fortune cookies have to do with trade shows for building products? Nothing, really. But as a totally unexpected medium for your brand message—part of your overall show strategy—they’re a fun and inexpensive way to pull prospects into your booth and start a conversation.

But this post isn’t about fortune cookies. It’s about making the most of your 2012 trade show investment.

I know you’ve probably had some pretty successful shows in the past. You’re not new to this. But how are you measuring just how successful the shows have been? Are you taking advantage of all the leads you’re acquiring? Are they qualified leads? What’s your ROI (Return on Influence)? If you aren’t sure, you’re not alone.

After more than 20 years of working with clients in the building products industry, I’ve seen a disconnect that often stems from treating trade shows as individual events rather than integrating them into the overall brand-communications strategy.

Now, with the economic pitfalls that have paralyzed this industry, I know trade show exhibition has been put on the back burner for many of you. It still stands to reason, though, that the sheer power of trade shows to cost-effectively connect with hundreds—even thousands—of customers and prospects makes them an important way to showcase your brand.

Taking the time to strategize before embarking on your 2012 trade show program—and, in particular, pre- and post-show communication—is the most effective approach. Here are 5 ways you can effectively maintain brand consistency and reach brand stardom at your next trade show:

1. Stakeholders and Strategy
Kind of sounds like a Milton Bradley® game, doesn’t it? Get together with all key stakeholders and your creative team well in advance of the show to discuss overall strategy. Your creative team can help you formulate the best way to let your brand shine. Discuss the core messages you want to convey and how you can bring them to life.

These planning meetings should yield a succinct strategy for connecting with attendees before, during and after the show. The strategy will address how you will achieve your goals, influence exhibit design, and act as a script for your next blockbuster show.

2. Booths in the Zone
In a recent Marketing Profs article Stephanie Janard interviewed industry expert Les LaMotte, founder and CEO of Xtra Lite Displays (www.xtralite.com). According to Les, the key to maximizing booth traffic is to make sure the booth commands attention at several distances, starting with about 30 feet away. Your booth needs something eye-grabbing that attendees can spot from that distance. “Side wing” displays that catch attention from several aisles are also a good option.

The Big 3
1 The Memory Zone—about 15 feet away.

2 The Sensory Zone—close enough to interact with booth materials and demos.

3 The Data Zone—as much a state of mind as a particular proximity, the Data Zone is where booth visitors are looking for evidence that your product or service will solve their problems.

3. Loud and Clear
Competition at trade shows is fierce, and many companies think creating an exhibit with a “wow” factor is the ticket to generating traffic. Although you certainly want your exhibit to be visually effective, it’s critical to make sure the brand doesn’t get diluted in the process.

Instead, focus on creating clear, concise messages that support your brand attributes and resonate with the target audience. Start with words on paper. Seriously. You should be able to express your core message in one sentence. Once that’s established, building on it visually becomes easier and ultimately more effective.

4. Social Bee
Engaging socially with attendees prior to and during the show can have an extremely positive impact on attendance and participation. It isn’t, however, something you should use as a one-off campaign communication. It should be part of your overall marketing efforts. Social media isn’t a solution. It’s a tool. A way to become more intimate with your audience.

You can use social media tools to create curiosity and anticipation prior to a show. It’s a vehicle for being human. Let’s face it—your company isn’t about a tool or a widget. It’s ultimately about people who make something for people. I recommend having a point person to be your social voice. Make someone responsible for monitoring the conversation. This person can also blog about the sensational things that are happening during the show and stay connected with attendees long after the show is over.

5. After Glow
Everybody’s all excited and gung-ho during the show—preparation, dinners, drinks, enthusiastic conversations. But what happens after the show? Here’s where the ball gets dropped—little or no follow-through with the new “show” friends you’ve made. Capitalize on everything you’ve worked so hard for. Follow up with a thank-you letter. Ask them to stay in touch by subscribing to your e-newsletter. Socialize with them via Twitter and Facebook.

Measuring your effectiveness is also paramount. Utilizing a toll-free “trade show” number is a great way to track response. You can also capture important information via an online survey. Find out what resonated with them most. Coded response cards are another way to glean information and connect post-show.

Need help mapping out your trade show strategy?
Download our free Guide to Trade Show Stardom for Building Products Professionals.

What’s your trade show track record? Any big hits or misses? I’d love to hear from you. Here’s to creating a sensation and saying something new!

Allison DeFord POSTED BY: Allison DeFord| Leave a comment