Do you think we've reached the stage where parents will consider the SEO potential of names before settling on a moniker for their offspring? Perhaps not yet, but maybe the idea isn't that preposterous. After all, if they want to start a business later in life - to be found easily on the web - having a unique name is a distinct advantage. There aren't that many Ingrid Murray's, so I do ok in the list of Google returns. But my newly-acquired brother-in-law is Michael Jackson (not that one), so despite being an ex-Chairman of Sage, and on the committee of the Royal Albert Hall, he doesn't get a look in until page 15 of the search results. Would you look beyond page 2 or 3 for someone? Perhaps we should all adopt the strategy taken by only popstars and madmen to-date. In a world where people matter more than products, more attention to our personal brand name may be the future.
Showing posts with label People. Show all posts
Showing posts with label People. Show all posts
06 February 2009
Name.Dot.Surname
Do you think we've reached the stage where parents will consider the SEO potential of names before settling on a moniker for their offspring? Perhaps not yet, but maybe the idea isn't that preposterous. After all, if they want to start a business later in life - to be found easily on the web - having a unique name is a distinct advantage. There aren't that many Ingrid Murray's, so I do ok in the list of Google returns. But my newly-acquired brother-in-law is Michael Jackson (not that one), so despite being an ex-Chairman of Sage, and on the committee of the Royal Albert Hall, he doesn't get a look in until page 15 of the search results. Would you look beyond page 2 or 3 for someone? Perhaps we should all adopt the strategy taken by only popstars and madmen to-date. In a world where people matter more than products, more attention to our personal brand name may be the future.
30 January 2009
Round Peg, Round Hole
It's always good to share examples where competitive advantage is really working. Usually they've involved some departure from normative thinking....and this example is no exception. Its about talent selection to deliver the ultimate in customer service. Thorkil Sonne is a Dane. He opted for a non-traditional talent-sourcing pool when founding his IT company, Specialisterne (The Specialists), 5 years ago. The decision has resulted in a real advantage, winning them business from Lego, Microsoft and Oracle. Specialisterne is a software tester. To do it well, to be best in class, requires long periods of concentration, and far more patience and attention to detail than most mere mortals possess. Thorkil's solution? 75% of his 50 employees have some form of Autism. The business need matched perfectly with the talents of the individual.
What does your company do? What skills does it require most? Might it benefit from a little extra lateral thinking next time you're recruiting?
23 January 2009
Obama: The Consummate Marketing Man
I never thought I'd say this, but we can learn alot about marketing from a man in politics. That man is of course Obama. He is a consummate marketing man. 
Clear about what he stands for; consistent in his message and (so far) in his actions. He listens, encouraging dialogue in places that the voters go....shopping malls, YouTube, blogs. His message "change you can believe in" neatly repositioned McCain as a third term of Bush. Bush who went to war, who mismanaged the economy.
Obama went to the people. McCain to the corporates. Obama rode the new wave of crowdfunding and raised some $650m - a record in political donorship. Half of this came from ordinary people, people in the US like you and me, giving small amounts (less than $300). That's alot of people - more than for any presidential candidate ever. So Obama wasn't seen as a candidate who would line the pockets of corporates once in power, but would work in the interests of the people. He did what great brands do. He built a coalition of people who were prepared to part with their hard-earned cash. And he keeps doing it every day. The morning after his election, as newspapers carried the photo of his first day in office, an email went out from MoveOn asking everyone to "chip in $25" to a new cause. One that builds momentum, disarms the lobbyists and corporate politicians who plan to stop Obama in his tracks. In others words, at his moment of greatest success, work had already begun to dissipate the next expected competitive attack.
Clear about what he stands for; consistent in his message and (so far) in his actions. He listens, encouraging dialogue in places that the voters go....shopping malls, YouTube, blogs. His message "change you can believe in" neatly repositioned McCain as a third term of Bush. Bush who went to war, who mismanaged the economy.Obama went to the people. McCain to the corporates. Obama rode the new wave of crowdfunding and raised some $650m - a record in political donorship. Half of this came from ordinary people, people in the US like you and me, giving small amounts (less than $300). That's alot of people - more than for any presidential candidate ever. So Obama wasn't seen as a candidate who would line the pockets of corporates once in power, but would work in the interests of the people. He did what great brands do. He built a coalition of people who were prepared to part with their hard-earned cash. And he keeps doing it every day. The morning after his election, as newspapers carried the photo of his first day in office, an email went out from MoveOn asking everyone to "chip in $25" to a new cause. One that builds momentum, disarms the lobbyists and corporate politicians who plan to stop Obama in his tracks. In others words, at his moment of greatest success, work had already begun to dissipate the next expected competitive attack.
19 January 2009
Brand You
As business people we spend alot of time analysing the products and services we sell, to whom, and how to price them. As consumers we assess each brand's offering and value for money. But there is one brand that we rarely relaunch, promote or assess the value of. Paradoxically, it is the brand which affects our annual earnings more than any other. Our personal brand. Brand You. Brand Me.
What does Brand You sell to employers, clients or customers? Why are you priced as you are and do you represent good value? In short, what is your personal competitive advantage?
Marc Cox of The Advocacy Factor has come up with a neat yet impactful way of helping you to crystallise what you do when you're at your best. It's a technique which looks at your roots, legacy and the impact these have on the way you work everyday. It's much more useful than Myers Briggs and many of the psychometrics tests in use today. Why? Because it is a simple, singular feedback of what you sell to others, the springboard to a sharper CV and the answer to that most pertinent of questions "Why should we hire you?" And because it surfaces your true values, you will learn which kind of cultures bring out the best in you. Time to start branding Brand You?
What does Brand You sell to employers, clients or customers? Why are you priced as you are and do you represent good value? In short, what is your personal competitive advantage?Marc Cox of The Advocacy Factor has come up with a neat yet impactful way of helping you to crystallise what you do when you're at your best. It's a technique which looks at your roots, legacy and the impact these have on the way you work everyday. It's much more useful than Myers Briggs and many of the psychometrics tests in use today. Why? Because it is a simple, singular feedback of what you sell to others, the springboard to a sharper CV and the answer to that most pertinent of questions "Why should we hire you?" And because it surfaces your true values, you will learn which kind of cultures bring out the best in you. Time to start branding Brand You?
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