“A principle isn’t a principle unless it costs you something“.—Bob Goldstein, former P&G Vice President of Advertising

Today is the first day of the work week and as usual we ended the day with our company meeting.  There’s only a small number of us, so we can be efficient with the 45 minutes we’ve allotted.

As usual, each team member spent a few minutes touching on the more complex, urgent, or higher-profile tasks facing them this week. Sometimes they relate those tasks to specific goals, be it client service, operations, marketing or sales goals. It’s nice to tie the daily transactions in with the bigger tickets.

I coordinate these meetings and generally steer conversation along. One of my goals for our time together is to review a topic or issue that’s a bit to the left or right of daily production but nonetheless part of the framework of our company.  Deeper stuff.  Like how sometimes short-term sacrifices have to be made in order to reach long-term success.

The Brand Embodies The Culture

We’re in the process of re-branding the company. We’ve evaluated the marketplace, reviewed the competition, discussed visions and opportunities, determined our value proposition and have crystalized our position, promise, and essence. We’ve created a new brand identity that’s synergistic with our offering, contemporary, and flexible.  For these and a number of other reasons, our small company is on the precipice of a great, roaring forward movement that’s very exciting. Now is the time to talk about culture. What it means to each of us as individuals, as a cohesive unit working in synchronicity, and its’ impact on the business and the brand.

So some of today’s “deeper stuff” was focused on strong culture, and the value an environment of shared principles and standards can bring to a growing organization.  A few excerpts from my handout:

Culture Equals =

• An integrated set of beliefs, knowledge, rituals, and traditions.
• The set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution, organization or group.
• Values that give life to a business.

If we embody our culture and thread it into every customer, prospect, vendor touch point, then we will give all of them reasons to believe our brand promise:

Only Ovation Interactive provides complete digital signage solutions that help businesses build relationships and influence customers’ decisions.

We’re not yet at the point where we can articulate the culture, or even all of our values. Our vision exists but remains a little nebulous (no succinct elevator pitch yet). These facets are all incredibly important, and I’m personally very thrilled to be part of shaping a living, breathing organization in a high-growth industry offering a great product and conscientious value-added support. We have a lot of positives to draw on, and we’ll work through fleshing out those cornerstones together.

Some say image is everything.  I don’t believe that’s wholly true, but just as I believe I feel a little stronger when wearing heels instead of my New Balance , I believe that a company with an intentional, deliberate image has greater control over its future because its stakeholders are mindful of the company’s personality, voice, tone, and posture.  When those are all familiar and well-woven into the culture, ensuing decisions and actions come with ease.

The Cobbler’s Children Hath No Shoes

It happens.  The reality of running hard and fast in pursuit of new business, good business that could potentially do wonders for your company, you loose your perspective to see yourself.  Your comapny.  As others–potential investors, potential clients, potential employees, and general audiences–might see you.

Check Your Image

I’m of the opinion that there’s no advertising or promotional substitute for the type of positive, influential impression you [your company] might make than your image.  The personality you project, the values that personality implies.  Goodness knows, a lot of companies have had image and little else, and managed to do some sizeable business nonetheless.  The fact that those types were short or relatively short-lived is immaterial because they exemplify my point:  by putting your best foot forward, everywhere and always, you project an image that says “Look at me.  Listen to me.  I have important things to say.”

Substance is a Given

Assuming that indeed, you have important, valuable things to say (and deliver), then your product/service will solidify that image.  Promises Kept. (that happens to be the tagline of a well-respected higher education marketing firm; I’m not copping it but rather paying homage–it’s a powerful commitment.)

Time for the Overhaul

In case you haven’t looked through a different pair of lenses lately, here are a few suggestions for taking some stock in your image.  Think of it as “What Not To Wear” or “Eye for the Straight Guy” kind of tough love–you may not want to take a look, but once you  listen to the professionals and put a leg in the right pant, you feel like a new person.  And voila! Goodbye “We’re doing okay,” Hello “Our people will get in touch with your people.” (who knew it only took the right fit and a good cut?)

1. Where do you see yourself in three years?  Physically, financially, developmentally, competitively, logistically?  Are your touchpoints synnergistic with that vision?  Essentially, do they reflect a credible evolution to that goal?
2. Outward-facing touchpoints (collateral, Web presence, templates, business cards, signage, etc.) are important, but inward-facing ones are, too.  Are your employees and vendors or suppliers familiar with your plans?  Seems each plays a role in achieving those goals.  If you can’t or won’t articulate to them the type of goals you have, are you potentially losing out on passion and drive–resources that could help propel your business forward?  People typically want to do good work.  Sometimes you just gotta tell them how they fit and what you hope they can do.
3. Recognize that by surrounding yourself–infusing your business–with smart, savvy, determined people, you’re priming the pump.  Good for you!  Now just be sure to trust your instincts and decisions, guide those rockstars, and empower them to lead.  Their methods may not be yours, and you may have to give some thought to how you feel about that.  But remember, you already said in #1 that you want to be There, right?
4. There’s bound to be some casualties.  It’s a given when there’s a vision, a group of pioneers, and a goal.  Remember:  what got you here may not get you there.

Funny Title for Building Your Brand Appeal

I had a notion strike me, likely spurred by my informaniac-like consumption of written material (articles, reports, posts, papers, editorials, presentations, webinars, books, cereal boxes, the list goes on.  It’s like a compulsion).  Lately I’ve been pondering the aggregated net effect of one’s involvement (commitment is implied) and participation in UGC (user generated content).

Where does it get you?  What does it give you?  Maybe moreover, What does it create? What does that mean for your brand, and the appeal it might have to others?

We’re familiar with “Google Juice” and the concept that algorithms are a strange, tantalizing, and sometimes elusive gossamer veil that can surround your digital presence (assume it starts with a blog or site) and make faerie magic happen. Throw in analytics-a mind-numbing if thrilling cloud of pixie dust–and you now know the “how” and “where” (and maybe some idea of the “who,”  and “when,” too).  Still pining for the “what.”

By extrapolation, when other “connector pieces” like Twitter, Facebook, Social Vibe, Flickr, Slideshare, StumbleUpon, etc. are factored in, the picture in my mind starts to resemble a Tinkertoy creation.  The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.  Now we’re mixing juices, pomegranate+cherry.  Cranapple+grape.  Strawberry+raspberry+pineapple.  De.lic.ious. and Digg.

Less Nutritious Alternatives?

What are the implictions when your UGC or social media reach is, say, a 3-Tinkertoy creation instead of a 9-Tinkerytoy creation.  There’s less to work with.  Is your involvement–or lack of, maybe more accurately–hampering your brand appeal?  Not available, findable, “in the stream”? Think what it might mean in traditional marketing  sense–fewer spots, infrequent rotation,  restricted print runs.  What might this mean to your reach, impressions, or message reinforcement?

For certain it means one message, fewer connectors/channels in which to mirror the rosy glow you had going on.

If your expectations are in line, then I say not attempting to go full-bore is just fine.  I believe you’ll get out of online branding what you put into it.  And once the resources or time are in place, then those efforts can always be stepped up (you def don’t want to step down, could cause some bad feelings).  I’ll bet in a short while, you’ll start seeing the fruits of your labor (sorry for the pun).  I know I did–Just by participating in some Q&A’s on LinkedIn that interested me, and Twittering more often, I saw about a 50% increase in traffic to my blog.  Now my bounce rate is higher than I’d like, but since the magical calculation doesn’t handle blog landing pages very well (those where stories are laid out in continuous timeline on a single page), I’ll balance that with some of the other criteria points.

Daily Supply of Vitamins

To get back to the question on hand–what does your conversation participation create?  What does it do?  What does it mean for your brand?  The answer is simple, really, and already outlined above.

Vitamins are not a substitute for good nutrition.  They are called “supplements” for a reason.  And I believe that one Tinkertoy connection supplements–compliments–another.  The more connectors you have, the greater the exposure points to potentially great people, resources, companies, ideas, and news.

So do a little, do a lot.  Be a joiner or a follower (def don’t be a lurker) or even a leader! Build your creation in any fashion you want to.  Just do it with passion, enthusiasm, an eye for detail, and  a vision in your mind.

Your personal brand will be strongest when you’re participating (or leading) consistently and authentically.

If you’ve ever read the great book Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott, you know that she asserts people are smart. No, really, they are. Or maybe just intuitive. They know by the second time the office manager compliments them on their outfit that it’s really an opener to that tedious print/collate/bind/ship project, 50 sets please. They also know that “opportunity area” is a high-falutin euphemism for what amounts to a C- on your annual report card.

So by now, after a few decades of television spots, radio commercials, mail directed to “Or Current Resident,” outdoor boards, and the like, we pretty much know when we’re being played. We hear you, but we’re not really listening. We can make up our own mind without you, Thank You Very Much.

Enter the genius of brand experience. I mean, it’s an easy concept to get (duh, think Target vs. Wal-Mart or Publix over Aldi) but frankly it’s like being sprinkled with pixie dust. You find a happy place where somewhere in the background is some subtle relaxing music, you see cool things merchandised in ways that make you think you, too, can have a totally feng shui living room and chairs are superfluous.

That’s because brand experiences (like Target), whether physical or virtual, can convert prospects into customers and customers into card-carrying (literally!) brand evangelists. These experiences are by definition interactive, encouraging dialogue and ideally an intimate and unforgettable dance between brand and consumer.

When brands create experiences that create real value, the brand pulls customers into it, rather than pushing a message out at them. The natural entanglement deepens the relationship with existing customers, forms strong bonds with new ones, and helps generate favorable viral contagion.

The experience must derive from a strategic insight relevant to the brand.