Adam Kirk Smith

- A. Smith Blog - Leadership in Life

branding

| | 4 Comments

Maximizing Your Personal Brand Part 1: Attire – Erik Tyler

 

A friend treated me to a birthday dinner the week before last. I was enjoying a three-week vacation in Naples, Florida, at the time, and with his being from three-and-a-half hours north in Clearwater, we were both in unfamiliar territory. So we decided on Italian and then just asked Siri to present us with nearby options.

Upon arriving at our destination, we entered the rather posh dining area of the restaurant we’d chosen. The maître d’ was dressed to the nines as were all of the wait staff, and each spoke with an undeniably Italian accent. From the lighting to the wall art, this place was authentic. We knew we had chosen well before we were ever seated. And though our dishes bore names one could have ordered at any Italian chain restaurant, the quality of the food was far from franchise fare.

As our main courses arrived, I noticed what appeared to be a tipsy patron annoying the kitchen crew. He was dressed in a garish Hawaiian-print shirt with four buttons undone. The lower buttons strained as they did their best to hold back an ample gut. Draped unevenly across the surfeit of chest hair was the expected cliché: a large gold chain. His bald pate was encircled by a too-long horseshoe of badly-dyed hair. It was hard to make out exactly what he was saying, but he was definitely harassing the cooks, who, I noted, were handling it pretty graciously (though I did wonder why no senior staff were making an attempt to intervene).

A few moments after we were into our meals, the blustering bald man approached our table. He smiled broadly, placing one hand casually on my shoulder and one on the low dividing wall to my right. Not much causes me to feel awkward in life, but I’ll admit that my adrenaline surged a bit as I prepared for how best to mitigate the situation.

“How you guys doing?” the man asked. “Everything good? Anything you need?”

It was then that the realization hit me: this was no patron. I don’t even think he was a manager. No, only one person could have gotten away with his appearance and approach with the staff – the owner himself.

We raved about the food and service, which was met with much nodding of head and replies of “Good, good”; and soon, the owner was off to another table, continuing his rounds.

This man was clearly successful to some degree. He owned at least the restaurant where we were eating, if not other restaurants or properties. The ambiance was just right. The staff were excellent. And the food was outstanding. I couldn’t help but wonder how, then, this man internally reconciled his own appearance with the overarching goals for his establishment.

One thing is certain: he believed he was putting forth a positive persona. We do very little in life without a perceived gain. But this man’s perceived gain did not appear to be aligning with reality; therefore, it does not appear it was helping him reach the goal he intended.  He seemed like a genuinely nice guy with good intentions; but the image he was portraying was a deterrent to our finding that out.

In a previous post, I talked about the power of nonverbal communication – the ability to speak clearly without using words at all. The items covered in that post were choices we make in the moment, after communication has begun. However, some very important facets of nonverbal communication (for lack of a better category) must be decided well in advance of communication encounters. And these decisions speak volumes about us within the first five seconds of being in the presence of others. Assessments will be made. Judgments will be passed. And based on these, our verbal message will either be more readily received – or potentially hindered altogether.

[Read more…] about Maximizing Your Personal Brand Part 1: Attire – Erik Tyler

| | 4 Comments

Ways to Convince Your Bosses to Brand Themselves on Social Media – Courtney Gordner

social icon cupcakes

 

One of the biggest misconceptions going around about social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram is that they are an “unprofessional” waste of time. The more serious, older and less tech-savvy bosses in the business world tell themselves and their employees they have no use for such sites.

If you have your ear to the ground for the latest in business and social media news, you of course know Virgin Mobile is writing lists for BuzzFeed in a bid to seem “hip” to potential customers. McDonalds and Taco Bell are engaged in a social media feud. Clearly, social media is a big business for bigger businesses. Even CEOs for companies like Walmart and Target keep blogs and other social media accounts in order to establish visibility and connectedness to their customers.

You know instinctively that your boss could benefit from branding his or herself through social media. It’s just a matter of finding ways to make your case.

Here are a few helpful ways to help convince your bosses that they should give social media branding some serious thought.

A Direct Method Connecting With Your Target Audience

Social media sites feature hundreds of millions of users from around the world, all of whom represent a potential customer to one company or another.

If your company is responsible for refurbished equipment, it’s a good idea to have high ranking company members connected to the organization via Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. who can be reached for further information about the company. This includes customers who may have questions about whether or not equipment is certified and how they can find out more information about products.

A number of online customers are more apt to engage companies that are highly visible and whom use social media sites as a form of customer service. Bosses should be informed that if customers feel that they are respected and heard, they are more likely to stay loyal. One of the best ways today of fostering loyalty is continuous interaction on social media sites.

It Makes Companies More Human and Relatable

Behind every great company is a great CEO. We know this because often, the names of these CEOs are synonymous with the companies they’ve created. Steve Jobs was the man behind Apple. John Schnatter is readily associated with Papa John’s and there would be no Walmart without Sam Walton. Often, it’s the names behind the companies that grant the lasting impression as to what a company is really about. When the people at the top make it a point to be highly visible and engaging on social media sites, it gives the impression to potential customers that the company they own and work for is the same. Rather than seeing a company as a soulless corporate machine, there are human faces and unique personalities that can readily be associated with the organization. By branding themselves, these people are, in their own way, validating the company’s brand.

Allow Employees to Not Feel Like Cogs

The old-fashioned attitude towards social media was that it was unprofessional and employees should stay away. There was a sense that workers were not allowed to express their individual selves and instead, dedicated their time and energy as “cogs” in a machine.

Now that more CEOs are making their presence felt on the internet and social media, their employees are following suit. Employees often connect on social media and in their own way, promote their company and its happenings. The more personable and engaging a company is online, the more it allows employees to freely express support and pride in their company on social media.

Pitfalls to Avoid

Though getting on social media and branding is the goal, it’s also fair to consider that ideas which seem good on paper, can be disastrous once on the internet. This includes tasteless or ill-timed “jokes” and advertisements. Posts that are politically-incorrect or negatively reflected on the individual and company must also be avoided. There are people who found themselves without a job because what they said on social media went viral. It’s important to be sensible when it comes to branding yourself on the internet.

Social media works well for bosses who are not afraid to show off their personalities and truly engage the public. It can help draw a legion of loyal followers and customers, which is why more bosses should consider making the most of various social media websites.

How do your bosses engage in social media branding? Or, what would you like to see them do differently? Tell us in the comments section below!

Image by Cakehead Loves