Thursday, November 17, 2016

Six Branding Tips from the LA Auto Show

If you're a car fan and ever find yourself in the Southern California area during November, make a detour and head directly to the Los Angeles Convention Center to attend the LA Auto Show. Whatever make or model you think you'll like, you're sure to be surprised by the latest technological advances by your favorite brand's competitors. And just wait until you see the concept cars! I got a sneak peek at this year's show and immediately associated brand marketing with my observations. Check out these six branding tips that any brand can apply in any industry.

LA AUTO SHOW OBSERVATION #1:
The hashtag for the event was featured on a large sign at the entrance (#LAAutoShow) - inviting attendees to use it and/or take a photo for easy sharing - and easy promotion.
BRAND TIP: In today's social era, choose your hashtags strategically and invite your audiences, customers, and stakeholders to embrace and use them.


LA AUTO SHOW OBSERVATION #2:
Audi's full line-up of vehicles was presented mostly in red. In previous years, all Audi vehicles were silver.
BRAND TIP: Shake things up if you consistently use the same colors in your promotions. Use different color palettes for your brand storytelling.


LA AUTO SHOW OBSERVATION #3:
Nissan launched its new Rogue One with storm troopers. Created in partnership with George Lucas' next Star Wars movie (a Nissan rep said that there are 131 million Star Wars fans in the USA), 5,000 limited edition vehicles will be available. Each buyer will also get a replica storm trooper helmet, a perk that will not be sold separately.
BRAND TIP: If your brand can tie itself to a pop culture phenomenon, do it!

LA AUTO SHOW OBSERVATION #4:

Hyundai launched a new sub-brand named Genesis. Three sedans were featured, and by 2020, the Genesis line will include six vehicles including two SUV's.
BRAND TIP: Sub-brands or brand extensions allow your brand to reach out to new audiences.

LA AUTO SHOW OBSERVATION #5:
Volvo offered access to its online newsroom via a business card with a QR code. While many influencers in social media have long said that QR codes are dead, this one, when scanned, linked to a special website featuring press releases, vehicle images, videos, and media kits.
BRAND TIP: Don't discount technology if it helps to promote your brand - and even better, use it if it provides the right information to the right people.

LA AUTO SHOW OBSERVATION #6:
On the eve of the LA Auto Show, Edmunds, the leading car information and shopping network, posted a Tweet that highlighted a feature of the Lincoln MKX while simultaneously addressing a timely news story. See the Tweet below.
BRAND TIP: Follow the news and align your social media with stories that everyone is talking about. You never know when something you post will go viral. Remember Oreo's Tweet during the 2013 Super Bowl?



Image Credit: Twitter

Many trade shows and special events offer excellent branding tips that can be applied in different industries than they were intended, so be on the look-out. In the meantime, if you'd like to see more about the LA Auto Show, visit the website at www.laautoshow.com.

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Five #LeadershipTips from the 2016 Presidential Campaign

Today is the 58th Presidential Election. Without a doubt, this election is the pinnacle of one of the most tumultuous campaigns in American history. Hopefully, our new leader can unite the country - Democrats and Republicans, old and young, members of all ethnicities, and followers of all beliefs - so that we can begin to heal from the campaign and solve our nation's very serious economic, health, climate, and global challenges.

So let's put politics aside because, with the campaign now history, leadership abilities take center stage. Since Inauguration Day is still 10 weeks away, here are five leadership tips that stood out during Campaign 2016.

LEADERSHIP TIP #1:
Watch your behavior in the workplace. Don't orchestrate dissatisfaction among your employees because they will model their behavior on yours.

LEADERSHIP TIP #2:
Watch your words. Always be courteous and professional. Don't use curse words or ethnic slurs. Your employees will model their lingo on yours - and they will also quote you.

LEADERSHIP TIP #3:
Don't use social media as a tool to be negative about an employee or his or her work. Don't ever post information that you know isn't true or could possibly be false. Remember, anything posted on social media can be online forever, so make sure it is suitable for your board of directors and employees to see.

LEADERSHIP TIP #4:
Clearly define your goals. Don't use a tagline in lieu of actionable strategies. Explain your goals to your employees, be transparent, and answer questions yourself. Don't use a surrogate who may use short phrases rather than answering questions.

LEADERSHIP TIP #5:
Surround yourself with the best and the brightest. Avoid people with an excess of negative publicity and lack of knowledge. You are only as talented as the team around you.

What leadership tips stood out to you during the campaign? Please chime in.



To learn more about the history of Presidential Elections, click here.


Image Credit: HypeOrlando

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Five Social Media Secrets That Never Go Out of Style

Anyone who spends time in social media has one or two favorite platforms. Some may prefer using Twitter, some may prefer using Facebook, and some may prefer an obscure site or one that fits a specific industry. Many of us who use social media as a marketing tool to build our employer's brand or our personal brand have also developed a secret or two along the way. Here are my five social media secrets that never go out of style.

TIP 1: BE CONSISTENT WITH YOUR PROFILE NAME
Maintain a consistent name for all social media platforms. If a brand name is not available, use a familiar tagline. If "Nike" had been unavailable, the company could have used "JustDoIt," and everyone would immediately have recognized that any account with that name belonged to Nike. With all the social sites available to your brand, take some time to conduct a social media audit and re-evaluate the names of all your accounts. 


TIP 2: MAKE YOUR CONTENT EASY TO SHARE
When blogging, feature pull quotes in large bold font. This will allow your readers to quickly and easily share your content on Twitter with your name and Twitter handle. 


TIP 3: FOCUS ON PLATFORMS
Despite Visa's tagline of being "everywhere you want to be," acknowledge that your brand can't be everywhere. Do your research and see which social platform your key stakeholders and/or customers use and develop a strategy or strategies to make the biggest bang. Don't waste time building a presence on every new platform just because your son or daughter thinks the platform is a fun alternative to homework. (Think back a few years...everyone went Ga-Ga over Quora, and you don't hear anything about it today.) 


SHARE ON TWITTER: DESPITE VISA'S TAGLINE OF BEING "EVERYWHERE YOU WANT TO BE," YOUR BRAND CANNOT BE EVERYWHERE. ~@DebbieLaskeyMBA

TIP 4: USE HASHTAGS
Capitalize on hashtags. Create and use hashtags with your brand name, your company name, key employees if they are industry influencers, and more. And use these hashtags on all your social platforms. You may even use them on traditional marketing collateral, such as, business cards, letterhead, brochures, etc.


TIP 5: PRACTICE REGULAR SOCIAL LISTENING
Set up alerts for your brand, company name, industry, and more. This will let you know when others are talking about your brand or brands and allow you to chime in when appropriate. You will also be quickly informed if someone says something negative or untrue about your brand so you can comment or chose to remain silent. You may also wish to set up alerts about your competition and key influencers in your industry. The sites to use are Google Alerts (https://www.google.com/alerts) and Talkwalker (https://www.talkwalker.com/alerts).

On a final note and to celebrate the spirit of social media, here's my fave Tweet of all time from Vala Afshar (@ValaAfshar), “Don't do social, be SOCIAL: sincere, open, collaborative, interested, authentic, and likeable.”