From the desk (and BlackBerry) of Keith Parnell

While driving through Norfolk this afternoon a truck passed me that was painted and wrapped with company logos and colors. But what caught my attention was the cool name of the company - Doody Calls.

That one didn’t take but about 3 seconds to figure out that they were a service company that would come out and clean up your yard behind your little Skippy.

All companies cannnot have a name as rememberable as Doody Calls but take a second next time you have the opportunity to dream up company names. Think rememberable. Think original. And think, can I remember that name an hour later when I get to Panera Bread to blog about it.

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Get your mind out of the gutter.

Below is a picture of my laptop and coffee hanging out at Panera Bread in Pembroke in Virginia Beach yesterday. Between the weekly Coffee with the CEO sessions, the coffee and lunch meetings, the many virtual work sessions at local coffee shops, and various social media networking events, my laptop sees an estimated 500 fresh pairs of eyes per week. That’s over 2,100 people seeing the stickers on my laptop per month and 26,000 people per year being exposed to my brand.

What is that kind of exposure worth to your company? We’re talking creative advertising at its finest. Let’s talk.

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Listening to White Flag by Dido.

photo credit: sportsagentblog.com

I just ran across a blog post by my friend Leah that touched on a topic that a lot of people think about, discuss (sometimes heated), and wonder about almost daily if they do business on the Internet. Read her blog post here. By they way Leah is an online sales consultant for a local home builder in Hampton Roads.

Leah is struggling with mixing the personas of her business life and her personal life on Facebook. A lot of people struggle with this. Should I mix my personal brand with my professional brand? How would this affect any current or potential business relationships? How would this affect the communications with my personal friends on Facebook?

I offered my comments to this topic:

I think the thing I like the most about this topic is that there is, and won’t ever be, a right answer. Each of us use social media and its various platforms in our own special manner, which is what makes us special, which is what social media is all about - people (personalities).

I don’t think that any of us ever want to upset or disturb the balance of a friendship or a business relationship on any level. And I think the best way to not disturb that balance is to just be yourself. Be your brand. Be your company’s brand (if that’s your goal). And people will like you, or not. And that’s okay.

What about you? What is your take on the mix of personal brand and professional brand on communities like Facebook for those of us that do business on the Internet?

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Is the strategy behind your marketing plan shooting for the right audience? Does each initiative, including your inbound marketing tactics, identify with your sales goals?

Make sure your marketing firm doesn’t leave you all alone with your ideas.

Photo taken of a house in the middle of the Nansemond River in Virginia

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How strong is your brand? Is your brand stronger than your company’s brand?

I got to thinking about that this afternoon while watching the introductions of Brett Favre to the Green Bay community on his first return to Packers stadium. He received mixed reviews from the Packers fans but the majority were probably cheering for Bret, despite the fact that Green Bay is the only NFL franchise that is owned by the citizens (tax payers) of the City. Seems Brett’s brand does far exceed the strength of the Packer’s brand from the perception of loyal Packers followers.

So I ask you, can your brand stand strong outside the umbrella of your organization’s brand?

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In this age of sprouting social media, social networks and easy-to-use social communities, are we really practicing what we preach? Do we use social media to communicate and even more importantly to interact with our customers?

We should. Now, more than ever before, we have the tools to increase bi-directional and multi-threaded interaction with our closest and also the most distant customers. We should be thinking of new ways everyday via social media to let our customers know they can rely on us to deliver on our brand promise to them.

Think he cares that Starbucks is the hottest brand name in the food vertical since McDonald’s? No. But as comfortable as he looks, he’s probably glad his buddy cares.

What about your brand? Does your brand span from - those that care - to - those that hang out with those that care?

Life is real. Life is now. This is the image of life.

What image are you living?

Here’s a quick definition of Internet Marketing from the JASE website:

Internet marketing focuses on creating powerful content that will lead potential customers to your brand, product or service line through online methods like searching, referrals, and links from other web entities such as blogs, video and social communities.

If you are not investing in and actively participating in Internet Marketing, you are certainly missing an audience that is looking for you.

I talked a while back during the Coffee with the CEO series about aligning your business to attract Inbound Marketing traffic. See the video here. A quick overview of the video: social media fits into an inbound marketing campaign, inbound marketing fits into an internet marketing campaign, and internet marketing (along with traditional marketing) fits into an overall marketing plan.

Read that again if you didn’t understand. Internet Marketing can be, should be, and (if you talk to us) will be a vital aspect of solid sales leads generation for your sales staff.

Don’t miss out on Internet Marketing. Let’s talk.

I have no great pearls of wisdom today. I only have a question for you that will hopefully be thought provoking for you and maybe even spawn a few conversations across the social networks.

Here it is. Ready? ( … drum roll please … )

What are you doing for your brand today?

Your brand. Today.

Even though you are on holiday, your brand portrayal is not. Are you tending to your brand?

2009 has been a solid year so far for our organization. Business is on a steady increase and outperforming our sales goals.

Pondering the causes of this growth during a tough economy, I thought back to my professional goals I set for myself on January 1, 2009. Here they are.

1. I will identify those in my network of influence (on me) that are negative and impress upon me a non-productive demeanor. I will totally eliminate them from my circle.
2. I will attempt to increase the size and more importantly the quality of my network of business partners. I will work my hardest to learn from their experience and offer my participation where appropriate.
3. I will schedule my days and weeks to be more fluid, yet more productive.
4. I will attempt to face-to-face network more than I did in 2008.
5. I will be more cognizant of my personal brand and achieve to sharpen its edges.

Hard Work Means Success

I can honestly say that I am well on the way towards accomplishing each resolution. And even better than that, I can attribute much of JASE’s success this year to the processes I’m living to achieve these goals. So for once in my life, I can say that I’m living up to my New Year’s Resolutions and they’ve not been a total waste of my time to establish them.

- Good thing I didn’t throw in the ‘lose 30 pounds this year’ resolution! -

What about you?

How are those resolutions going?

The new JASE coffee mugs have arrived. I’ll be glad to share them with 25 of my bestest friends. Creatively tell me why you would want one and I’ll have it shipped to you today.

Do you live your brand everyday? Do you make a conscious effort to portray a common brand across your online communities and your offline life?

What are you doing for your brand today?

When I’m asked this question, I honestly try wholeheartedly to not have a puzzled look on my face. YES. Of course, your employees reflect you and your organization’s brand.

Everything and everyone you surround yourself with, reflects and represents your brand. These things are the essence of your organization’s brand.

Why am I thinking about this today, you ask?

I passed a car on the road this weekend. A pizza delivery driver for a local franchise of a national chain. The delivery driver’s license plate read, “Rat Lady”. That’s right, “Rat Lady”.

If “Rat Lady” had a local exterminator’s sign glowing on top of her car, or a local pet shop sign prominently displayed, I would not have given her a second thought. But a food delivery service coming to my home served up by “Rat Lady”? I think not.

Brand Management take-away: be aware of and respectfully conscious of the public elements of your organization. Consumers see the tentacles of your organization for what they are (without a chance of explanation or interpretation) and immediately draw their own conclusions about you, good or bad.

* NOTE: This blog article should not be interpreted in any manner that I oppose rats as a pet. I have heard from friends they are very friendly.

I had the great privilege of speaking at last week’s South Hampton Roads Museums Forum meeting.

We talked on social media, how social media fits into an inbound marketing campaign, how inbound marketing fits into an online marketing campaign, and how online marketing fits into an overall marketing plan.

Catch the video and slideshow of the seminar here: Social Media’s Role in the Marketing Plan.

Many thanks to Holly Carson at Keep Norfolk Beautiful for the invite.