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Network With Randall
Reality Shows and YOUR Brand
I’ve loved reality shows for years.
It was my “dirty little secret” for a long time, because I felt like I was supposed to be telling people I was watching Nova or something else that would be considered a “smart” show.
But if you really look at it, you’ll learn so much about the mindset of the entrepreneur from these shows!
- They KNOW they’re on tv. This is an important part that a lot of people watching forget. They aren’t hidden cameras, they’re right there every minute, you can’t forget about them no matter how hard you might try. This leads me to….
- Contestants are being the most branded they can possibly be. Some want name recognition, some have bands, some want to be on more reality shows. That means people have to remember you for…something. What the contestant chooses shows a lot about them as a person. I always enjoy the entrepreneurs on “I Love New York” - they have to simultaneously call out how much they love NY, but at the same time get the branding in there for the company.
Do YOU (the big YOU not you personally) love your company enough to profess love for a crazy woman in order to present yourself and your brand in the best possible light? What are you willing to do in order to wear your T-Shirt on national TV (a la the Stallionaires - a three man band that existed prior to I Love New York (the first one) and now on their expensive flash-a-licious website the two that were on the band go by the names New York gave them - Real and Chance - instead of their given names. So they went to the show and wore the shirts to get exposure, and then to make sure people who watch the show come through to them…they keep the nicknames from the show…it’s like one-man cross branding) .
What are you willing to do to get your brand out locally or online? What lengths will you go to and what risks will you take to get known? And if you do something really big…will it pigeonhole you into one niche that you didn’t really want to be in?
I love reality shows, because you get to watch individual entrepreneurs build a brand and share that brand the best way they know how.
Bind Faith vs. Trust
Concealing vs. Revealing - The Marketing Spin
Great blog entry by Seth Godin today about people and the strategy of hiding the negative (or accentuating the positive) instead of just getting everything out on the table and being more full-disclosure about yourself. Or your company. Or your product.
Since I was just on a networking tear last weekend, I was thinking about how I present myself to the world - do I put my best foot forward so often that people think I only have one leg?
If putting your best foot forward means NOT snorting when you laugh, like, ever, I failed miserably. Which I think is good. People need to see their experts as human, not as some freaky machine that never stops.
I don’t have to be an expert at makeup application, style, laughing without snorting, or any other vast number of things. I’m an expert at interactive (online), emotion-based marketing. That’s the only thing I have to be #1 at. Everything else just gives me depth and color.
Yes, that’s what I tell myself when I trip while walking…I know you were asking yourself… *grin*
It also makes me what I like to call “an approachable human”. That’s important, because many experts hide behind jargon and pithy one-liners and don’t show people who they really are. This means that people have to put their blind faith into the expert when they hire them, because they aren’t going to get human interaction helping them along. When you know someone has real, human personality traits and isn’t roaming the networking forest in a suit with one-liners a-flying…you can build real trust. The kind of trust that exists between two humans.
Blind faith or Trust..which would you rather give? Or receive?
Glenn Beck vs. Dr. Oz - Who has more “Pants Appeal?”
Alternate Title for this Post: Marketing your pants off!
Glen Beck has a great article about Dr. Oz and his magical scrubs. The ones that he wears (in my opinion) to stay sterile around Oprah.
Some may think that Dr. Oz is just SUCH a snappy dresser in real life that perhaps Oprah was threatened that her wardrobe would pale in comparison. Others may think that he’s just trying to be more “dignified” or exert his expert status by wearing the clothing of his trade.
But I know the truth. (Allegedly)
Dr. Oz likes to play with messy things. I’ve seen him with a wheelbarrow full of fat, and that was messy and gross. Not seen in person, of course, I mean seen on Oprah - well, really it was on YouTube, because I don’t watch Oprah on a regular basis.
So, yeah, he’s messy…I figure you don’t want to be wearing a $2k Armani when you’re on Oprah playing with chicken fat. Or any of the other various and sundry things he messes with on the show. If he only wore scrubs when something fun and gross was going to occur, it would be a dead giveaway if he came out wearing a suit 90% of the time and then just came out in scrubs when the messy stuff was going to go down.
And Oprah is all about the suspense. I think. It was when I watched it last.
Either way, I really enjoyed what Glenn Beck had to say about Dr. Oz and his constant scrub-wearing. Enjoy!
Wired Magazine Editor in Chief blocks PR People
WOW!
I’ve been trying to understand PR lately. I’m told it’s completely different than marketing, I’ve seen the lines blur…but stay intact…for a while now. But to stay up to date I figure the smartest thing I can do is learn about PR.
So today’s Google Alerts comes in and I was astounded! The Editor-in-Chief of Wired Magazine (one of my looooong time favorites) listed, on his blog, the email addresses of the people he feels have sent him inappropriate pitches in the last 30 days.
There are about a gajillion people on the list. Go take a look at his post “Sorry PR people: you’re blocked”
There are also over 300 comments on the blog post. Some from PR people on the list, some from PR people not on the list and a whole bunch of people cheering him on for what he’s done.
So…I’ve learned that PR is volatile *grin*
Also, I think that newbies may have a good chance here - to learn how to do it the right way from the beginning. Make some calls, ask some questions, be polite…I mean…there are so many news outlets all looking for news. You have news. At some point there has to be an intersection between the need and the deliverable.
On the bright side, the company Marketing Curve uses for our clients’ PR needs was NOT on the list! WooHOO! (I mean, I knew she wouldn’t be, but you never know….)
How to get more referral business…
I just posted a blog entry over at AlphaWomen about volunteering to get more referrals.
Here’s an excerpt:
A great way to do this is to give your time freely to…something! But there’s a catch. Don’t just give your time willy-nilly without a plan, that’s not going to get you anywhere but tired and burned out. Decide where the people are that you want to know, and then figure out where they are networking, visiting, talking, or hanging out. Then figure out a way to be there at the same time doing something that makes people take notice.
Girls’ Night Out in the South Suburbs of Chicago!
We’re filing this announcement in the “better late than never” section of the blog *grin* - I found out a couple days ago about a great “Girls’ night out” event happening right here in the south suburbs!
I don’t know about you, but being here in the south suburbs it basically means to do anything cool I have to drive about 40 minutes into the city proper to meet other business owners and have some fun.
The last girls’ night out event I went to was in Northbrook. That’s about 75 minutes away from my house. Don’t get me wrong, it was worth it! But I’ve been complaining that there are some amazing people here in the south suburbs and we should hold a shindig of our own.
Come to find out Deniera Burks of Luxe Escentuals has done just that! I’m glad I found out about it before it was too late…I’m pinch-hitting the marketing in the last week stretch before the event.
It will be held at the Orland Park Civic Center this coming Saturday, November 10th and based on the vendors, sponsors, and the attendees that I know of this is going to be a FUN event!
If you have an interesting or unique product, or would like to become a sponsor visit The Official Beautiful You Site at http://www.luxebeautifulyou.com/ (also visit if you’d like to order your tickets online!)
This just in! I heard that Sephora is going to be at the event with samples, consultations…and is going to be donating a goodie basket for the raffle! I already knew there were going to be free drinks and a raffle…but every vendor that donates a prize increases everyone’s chance of winning!
See you on Saturday!
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