Brands are like people: both have a physical structure, a name, a personality, and a reputation. Both can be respected or even loved, liked, and considered as part of our life or just simple accessories
Over the past 10 years I’ve had more than enough opportunities to consider whether the investment in time and resources to blog has been worth it. Blogging for business is a question I think many companies ask themselves as they look at current trends towards time more spent on social networks and changing consumer consumption trends, especially with mobile. This question came to light recently via Stephen Waddington , Digital and Social Media Director at Ketchum Europe who pinged me for an opinion on the future of global blogging for a blog post he was researching
Mari Smith exemplifies personal brand through social content Building personal brand online is easier than ever. It’s also underrated and misunderstood by many companies trying make sense of where personal and brand social media engagement fit in the marketing and communications mix
Matt Ridings & Michael Brito Advocating For Employee Advocacy Employee engagement is key in improving productivity in any industry. A happy employee is much more likely to be more productive than their counterparts. A recent study from the National Business Research Institute (NBRI) shares just how important it is to keep employees engaged. Findings include: Engaged employees product twice as much work product in the time as unengaged employees The average adult spends a quarter to a third of their waking life at work 40% – 80% of customer satisfaction is affected by employee attitudes Additionally NBRI identified the following six traits of engaged employees: Believe in their organization Have the desire to work to make things better Understand the business context and the bigger picture Are respectful and helpful to colleagues Are willing to go the extra mile Stay up to date with developments within their industry Many organizations are missing a key opportunity to turn engaged employees into advocates for their brand. I recently attended a session at NMX Las Vegas featuring Michael Brito ( @britopian ) and Matt Ridings ( @techguerilla ) where they discussed the necessity for advocacy from both inside and outside the organization. Don’t think your employees can be advocates for your company? Think again! Why Is Advocacy Important? Advocacy for any brand is a sign of trust. People purchase from companies that they like and trust. Why is this important? Often an organization’s employees are overlooked when it comes to advocacy development
Rick Wion ( @rdublife ) didn’t waste any time jumping in and telling the audience how tricky brand management can be for a large corporation like McDonald’s. He opened his presentation by teasing that he was sure we had all eaten McDonald’s for lunch and drank one a 16oz soda before the ban takes place and they are no longer available