Digital Branding & Trends July 14, 2011

Has everyone checked in?

Before we get started…

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#momolearn

Also, here’s the hashtag for this lunch and learn:

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So with a Foursquare check-in and a Twitter hashtag all set to go, does it feel like we’re ready to talk about the digital future?

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Because, if you go by hype & coverage, in places like AdAge and Mashable, those tools are the digital present. (And maybe the digital 5-minutes-ago.) So let’s start in the present, with what digital means to you, right now. Let’s use You as a brand.

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Digital Branding in the Present In which we discuss the question: “How do I !nd a job a month from now, and for the rest of my life?”

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What is “digital branding”? It’s resume building and networking. But it’s also being aware of everything that affects how you are perceived by two kinds of people: 1.  People looking to !ll a job who don’t know you exist 2.  People who know you exist and are wondering if you are

right for the job.

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(It’s also a phrase I made up for this presentation.)

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First, to be fair, let’s talk about our careers: how we started and how we got here. (Insert a minute of lecture here.) Based on that, there are some choices you can make for yourself: -  Stick Around vs. Jump Around -  Geography -  Agency vs. Client side -  Why do you need a resume?

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Now, let’s talk about your careers. Starting with how you got here. What’s the one thing you all did to get this gig?

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You made us aware you existed. (Through friends, or the college career service, or some other way your resume got in to our inboxes.)

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And that meant we could check you out. If a resume is the !rst thing we see about you, then let’s talk about resumes for a second.

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The origin of the concept is from feudal England, where they were used to introduce tradesmen and vassals into new towns with a document that vouched for their identity and skills.

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Fine. Then let’s pretend that this feudal artifact tells me the following about our “John Doe”: -  Studied Strategic

Communications (writing and research)

-  Studied visual design -  Went to Mizzou -  Knows computer stuff -  Played Rugby

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But you know, I am a strategist and still don’t know what “strategic communication” means outside of my own context. I know my wife went to Mizzou, as did a good portion of this office, but my own college career doesn’t translate to the Mizzou experience well at all. And computer skills are table stakes. What else?

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Well, I know if John played rugby, he can probably drink a LOT without passing out. So, in marketing and advertising, THAT’S a plus.

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But come on: Tools from feudal England? Not when we have Google.

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Google = Lots of John Does

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Google + Location (St Louis) = Still a lot of Johns

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LinkedIn? Are these the Johns we’re looking for?

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(BTW, Facebook has search, too.)

That’s a lot of work to !nd out things about John that I already knew from his (feudal) resume. Some of those results are out of your control. Many are not. Let me show you other examples, for comparison. Starting with me. Fair is fair.

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The top of my resume prompts you with search terms to pair with my name. I have a work history, but even so at the bottom, there is a link to my website, with more client samples. Controlling the $ow.

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Every work email I send? Controlling the $ow.

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MORGAN NOEL  Creative Strategist, Digital M: 314.341.8504 /// STL AIM/Live: moxmas /// twitter: @moxmas http://www.linkedin.com/in/moxmas momentumww.com  

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Google = Me

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Google = Me & lots of teenage girls

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LinkedIn

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Twitter

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Google Plus!

-  @moxmas -  http://www.linkedin.com/in/moxmas -  moxmas@gmail.com -  moxmas.com

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Continuity of content helps control context.

Some tools for digital branding: •  Free pro!les on LinkedIn, Google +, Twitter, etc. • Consistent pro!le name •  Recognizable image or photo •  Regularly google-stalking yourself

All these tools in combination help people !nd you, and help control what shows up when they do.

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To repeat: “help control what shows up.” When someone !nds you, what do you want to show up? What do you want people to think about you? That is, what’s your “superpower”?

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Superpower In which we discuss the question: “SUPERPOWER? WTF?”

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Brent Wilson, Momentum Group Creative Director on Army and PG&E and O’Reilly (he is very busy), likes to ask people: “What is your superpower?”

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That is… What is the core skill you bring to your work? What makes people want to have you on their team? What strength can you go back to, again and again, when deadlines are looming?

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Let’s discuss some examples: -  Writer: Storyteller? Crafts person? -  Designer: Beauty? Coherence? -  Architect: Explainer? Builder? -  Idea Person: Brainstormer? Explainer? -  Builder: Editor? Get’Er Done? -  Technologist: Programmer? Hacker? -  Business Leader: Client manager? Sales person? -  Leader: Cheerleader? Organizer? Visionary?

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However, there’s one thing that we all mistake for a “superpower” all the time: Expertise.

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Do NOT mistake superpowers for being an expert in one speci!c marketing tool.

Because if you’re an expert in writing:

a :30 spot for TV, or a print headline, or a blog post…

…will that speci!c skill still be useful in 2 years or 10 years, when totally different ways of delivering marketing messages dominate the !eld?

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But if you’re an expert storyteller, you can usually tell a story in any medium, with any message. No matter if it’s a :15 pre-roll online, or a twitter feed, or anything else.

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Of course, the digital !eld is FILLED to the brim with experts. (Who get paid a lot.) So let’s talk about trends in digital.

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Digital Trends In which we discuss the question: “Out of all this stuff, what should I pay attention to?”

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Right now, some of the favorite weapons in our digital marketing arsenal are: -  Online video -  Gami!cation -  User generated content

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But for over a decade, the “next big things” have been mobile and social media. They are still the next big things.

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What most interests us about mobile?

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•  tv •  movies •  dm •  internet •  books •  tabloids •  popular press

•  radio •  billboards •  tabloids

• trade press • radio • internet • exhibitions • billboards

•  radio •  billboards •  free newspapers

•  newspaper •  radio •  tv

1 6 9 11 14 16 19 23

HOME sleep

WORK HOME sleep play/shop transit

lunch

time

MOBILE  IS  PRESENT  DURING  EVERY  PART  OF  THE  DAY  Original Chart Source: Ansible Mobile

Alarm Clock Use Phone for: Weather

Traffic Alerts Newspaper Shopping Dining Tix

Take Pictures

Dinner Plans Social Networking

The opportunity to connect closely

Tools include: -  2D codes, like QR codes -  SMS programs -  Apps -  Mobile friendly websites -  Check-in offers (Foursquare, Google Latitude) -  Geo-targeting

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Mobile Best Practices 1)  Earn an invitation 2)  Reward their trust 3)  Relevance – Now! / Relevance – Always! 4)  Optimize for Quick Hits 5)  Flow to deeper engagements

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What most interests us about social media?

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The opportunity to connect closely

Tools include: -  Branded communities -  Mommy blogger programs -  Dedicated content for kids under 13 (CAN-SPAN needs) -  Twitter monitoring and response And of course: Facebook

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But 5 years ago, social media meant MySpace. If you were a MySpace marketing expert then, what good does that do you now? Before MySpace, Friendster. Before that, six degrees. All the way back to AOL. And there were hundreds of places before that.

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5 years ago… My Carnival Cruise Lines client had a dedicated community they hosted for thousands and thousands of cruisers. Last week… Carnival added their millionth follower on Facebook. Same people in charge, btw.

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What’ll it be 5 years from now? Google + ? Pinterest? Instagram Community? Telepathy and Tupperware?

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Let’s go to a quote… (A long quote.)

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“[M]arkets are conversations. Their members communicate in language that is natural, open, honest, direct, funny and often shocking. Whether explaining or complaining, joking or serious, the human voice is unmistakably genuine. It can't be faked.”

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“Most corporations, on the other hand, only know how to talk in the soothing, humorless monotone of the mission statement, marketing brochure, and your-call-is-important-to-us busy signal. Same old tone, same old lies. No wonder networked markets have no respect for companies unable or unwilling to speak as they do.”

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Now, guess the year that was written. (No fair peeking on your smartphone.)

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The Cluetrain Manifesto Cluetrain.com Book published and site launched in April 1999.

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So if you’re an expert in social media, are you an expert in Facebook? Or are you an expert in communicating to people the way they want to communicate? No matter how social media channels change?

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Keep in mind, right now, lots of people are making lots of money as “Facebook experts”.

Because lots of clients are looking for them. However, those experts in one tool will never be in charge of the account, or in charge of the brand. (Though they might have more fun!)

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Who gets to be in charge? Marketers who show they understand how to produce results.

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The !nal trend: Measurement and ROI Every client, at the end of the day, wants to know if the marketing you did for them was successful; did it produce a good ROI (return on investment)? How will you de!ne success for every idea – and what tools will you use to measure it?

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The Big Reveal In which we show off the trick: “If you can do it for yourself, you can do it for a client.”

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Everything you saw about “digital branding” for yourself are tools and approaches you can bring to bear on the needs of clients.

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-  Who are your potential consumers? -  How can they !nd you? -  What do they see when they do !nd you? -  Did they do what you wanted them to do? (Like have a

conversation or give you money?) -  How will you measure that success? -  How can you keep on top of trends that will change or

improve the answers to the previous questions?

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The main difference is that, on behalf of a client, you’ll usually have more tools at your disposal – and actual budgets – for things like research, development, staff, media placement, and so on.

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So get cracking.

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Your next steps, immediately on leaving this room: -  Start making a plan for how you want to brand yourself

(including your superpower) -  Connect on LinkedIn to EVERYONE you meet professionally -  Start reading about trends (in social, mobile or whatever)

that interest you. -  Do a little reading about measurement tools.

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Thanks! MORGAN NOEL  Creative Strategist, Digital M: 314.341.8504 /// STL AIM/Live: moxmas /// twitter: @moxmas http://www.linkedin.com/in/moxmas momentumww.com

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