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Defensive Online Marketing | 2011-10-10
Late last year, I started working in online marketing for personalities. Taking a personality's publicity work online is fascinating. It's been a mix of preempting the press, matching PR work and conducting 'defensive' online marketing activities.
The defensive online stuff is one of my favourite new games even if it is a bit tedious. It might sound like a whole new game, but it's not a new concept - I'm burying the unwanted stuff by throwing the good stuff up in the air. It's meant using online marketing techniques, with some knowledge of how search engines and other web technology works, to promote web pages that are favourable to a client in order to direct people who are searching for their name,
A really interesting part of my personality marketing work has been convincing a presenter, actor, artist etc that they should be treated as a brand. A couple of entertainers that were convinced they didn't need to think about managing their brand and online reputation changed their minds when I told them to Google BBC Breakfast presenter Susanna Reid.
Yes that really does say 'upskirt panty flash'
The thing is - if you're going to be famous, you're going to have an online presence that's branded (and brand = your personality/public profile). You can either choose to look after it yourself, or let someone else do it.
They're Not Her Panties
Poor old Susanna Reid's top Google results were made by pervs that have taken screenshots of her crossing her legs alongside sad Photoshop fakes of her head spliced onto glamour models (don't even click the Images tab...). The longer they are around for the more work other fans/pervs will inadvertently do to push traffic to the site and promote the site in Google's rankings. I hope somebody's helping her out with that situation (and I'm always here if not).
I'll share some of the things I've done to help clients with personality marketing soon and of course, give you details of how they have worked or not worked.
One of the primary tactics I employed recently was some search engine optimisation work that (although it sounds strange) involved creating links to Wikipedia and IMDB in order to boost someone's profile in Google results. These sites are so well respected that it was easier to move these pages up the search engine rankings for said personality's name than pointing links to their new website. It's a bit like a brand spending money on SEO work that directly benefits one of their retailers' (customers) sites instead of their own in order to stop competitors capitalising on searches for their brand name.
Darren Boyd as John CleeseCheck Out My (Fully Clothed) Client
While we're talking about celebrities, I'm currently working with a handsome young actor who I've never seen in lingerie on the internet or in real life. My new client is actor Darren Boyd - that's a link to his Facebook page, which I've set up. It's also a link that should help to boost that page's search engine rankings alongside all the others we're creating. Darren's played John Cleese in the forthcoming BBC show Holy Flying Circus and he's a pretty amazing Cleese.
Darren's got two major shows coming out this month and he's also a writer - I'm helping him raise his profile for a while so he can get his short stories out to a wider audience.
'Like' him and I'll like you. Because you'll be making me look good. www.facebook.com/pages/Darren-Boyd/204427476286626
(by the way, there's been nothing negative to hide about Darren, he's nice as pie. Although I'm finding the Tumblr account of one fan really amusing. She's photoshopped Darren and Cleese into a bath together)
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Logo - Great British Accents | 2011-09-21
Here's something from a project I've just completed for a British voiceover artist working in America. This is the logo I designed. I've also put together an interesting website, designed so she can have full control of updates despite having no technical knowledge. I think it's cool, but I would, wouldn't I? I'll share details once she's ready to launch.
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Is it Christmas Already? | 2011-09-15
It's September, so a lot of us have no choice but to start preparing for it. This is about the time that people normally ask me to put a Christmas card together for them. Nobody's asked yet so I thought I'd post one of my cards of Christmas past.
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Wearing a Rubber | 2011-09-05
Here's something I made for PR agency Sherpa, which was marketing its specialist offering for US companies looking to conquer Europe's media. I penned the puns, drew the geezer and even designed the thingy. There was a series of three images in total including a dummy (pacifier in American) and suspenders (braces).
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Power Searching on Twitter | 2011-04-12
It turns out Twitter's not just a way to broadcast the fact that you're about to go to the toilet, it's a very powerful search engine which gives you up-to-the-second results. Like every search engine, there are certain commands you can use in order to refine your search results. The techie types call them 'operators', you should too. Using these operators in Twitter Search will enhance your marketing research and measurement, whether you're monitoring trends or sentiment.
Try some of these next time you're using Twitter's search function, you should get better results.
search.twitter.com
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Talking to Stylist Magazine | 2011-04-08
I love Stylist Magazine, so it's really lovely to have my name on one of its pages this week. I was talking to one of their writers about how to behave in meetings if you want to be good. Check it out:
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Who are you really competing with? | 2011-04-07
I spent the other night at a Zumba class in South East London [that's a search optimisation link, by the way]. My hips weren't there to dance though, I was taking some pictures for Just Dance, a dance school in London.
I often use Just Dance as an example when talking to more corporate businesses about identifying competition.
If you are marketing dance classes to the local area, checking out your competition is as easy as finding out about all the other dance lessons in the area, right? Not if you're serious about finding out what you're really up against when it comes to acquiring new customers. You need to get back to understanding your customers and what motivates them.
When it comes to marketing Just Dance's kids' lessons, they have to think laterally. While it's obvious that their direct competition comprises mainly dance teachers, they have a large amount of competitors that probably aren't very good on the dancefloor. The dance school is competing with the local Karate club, swimming lessons at the community pool and even the local flute teacher.
Notice a pattern? They're all fulfilling a customer's need to send their children to get their children out of their house for a few hours every week in order to learn something.
A shot of vodka will normally do the same job as a shot of whisky
When you are trying to work out who you're truly competing with, you have to look beyond companies that offer the same services or products and start looking into customers' needs, issues and behaviour. Then you'll be able to work out how to target and reach the people most likely to buy your products/services (naturally, the subheading refers to the need to get drunk).
Many brands I have worked with have been caught out by being outranked on Google by smaller companies they have never heard of or have never considered competition because they aren't in the same category. It's generally happened because the competitor has looked into its customers' needs and behaviour - the language they use, how they use the web, which issues they care about - then chosen to market themselves accordingly.
Your customers are usually the best judge of who your 'stealth competitors' are, so speak to them about it. Ask a Harley Davidson salesman - they're smart enough to know that when they're pitching to a 50 year old man, sometimes they aren't competing with BMW as much as they are with the conservatory companies his wife keeps seeing on TV.
That's tough - I'd rather take my chances pitting dance teachers against Karate instructors instead.
www.justdanceuk.com
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Nomadic working - London is my office | 2011-04-07
A lot of people think that freelancers sit around in their pyjamas all day working from home. Not all of us do - I was never meant to be tied to the same desk every day and I don't really have pyjamas. A lot of us get our arses out of the house and enjoy the wonderful world out there. It's easy to do when you're in the most wonderful city in the world. I thought I'd share some of the places I spend my working day so you can have a nice place to work if you're footloose or just be jealous if you're a Midtown desk jockey.
W Hotel, Leicester Square
Sometimes this place is buzzing with people out of the movies - cast and crew that is. It's a nice stop, but bring your credit card - wifi is not free, it's expensive and a cup of tea costs about £4.
Google Map
Leon, Old Compton St
Leon is one of my favourite things about London at lunchtime. They just opened up in Soho, and this may be their best premises yet. The food and drink is cheap and healthy, they've got free wifi which is pretty fast and reliable most of the time and the staff are really great. It's easy to hang out in even if it does get pretty busy at lunch.
Google Map
Pret a Manger, Clink Street
I hate going to Starbucks but am happy to go to Pret any day because they connect me to the internet free, via The Cloud. I think we have McDonalds to thank for that one. This one is just north of Borough Market in a wonderful spot on Clink Street. You don't have to sit outside but it was 21 degrees in April, it would have been silly not to.
Google Map
The Swan, The Globe, Southbank
You can't see much of the inside, but the view was too good not to include. It's clean, comfortable, has free wifi and table service too. It's a cafe/bar/bistro and opens at 7am for breakfast. It's surprisingly quiet sometimes when all the other cafes etc in the area are heaving.
Google Map
My Cousin's Gaff, London
Sometimes you really need office stuff but you've just got to be flexible. I was staying at my cousin's place and working on a big visual project. I was stuck - I needed a desk and two screens so I could work through the night and deliver. Luckily, he had the good sense to leave a spare 32" TV lying around.
No map - you've got to be pretty special to get there
Home
And of course, if you are at home - you don't have to sit indoors if it's 24 degrees.
I have to work in some much more random (and boring) places too - watch this space.
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Could your workplace be one of The Best 100? | 2011-03-06
Last year I was working with a brand that wanted to get into the Sunday Times Top 100 Companies To Work For. They thought that a nice bit of PR with a decent budget. I had to get a bit Mr Miyagi on them. The thing is, if you want to be known as one of ‘The Best’, you have to be one of the best or at least try bloody hard to be. In the new democratic world of brand reputation, just pretending isn’t enough.
Mr Miyagi would tell them to look inside themselves – Mr Ali told them to focus on becoming the best internally then using internal PR before they even thought about trying to participate in the Top 100.
I think it's a great model for any business that wants to improve staff retention, morale, productivity and all the good stuff that comes with having happier staff. You could just measure these criteria as a 'healtcheck'.
We had a close look at the criteria for eligibility then looked internally at how the company was doing.
Elements used to determine how companies are ranked in the Top 100:
Leadership – the most senior management, heads of departments etc.
My Manager – line management and leadership day to day
Personal Growth – the opportunities to develop, to learn skills and to progress
Wellbeing – work life balance and general happiness
My Team – immediate co-workers
Giving Something Back – corporate social responsibility
My company – the company as an identity and how it treats staff
Fair deal – remuneration and benefits
How would your staff rate you?
Becoming Eligible for the Top 100
You can nominate your own company, a random selection of staff get a 70-question survey and your company is only eligible if 40% or more respond. The survey focuses on eight factors that the Sunday Times believes makes a company a good place to work.
For my client I conducted an internal survey to see how people felt about each of these areas and guess what – these guys had a lot of work to do before their staff would be giving the kind of positive feedback they needed.
It highlighted some problems across the company and started off a process which allowed them to start fixing problems and making their staff happier. It started off painful, but maybe they’ll be ready to enter in a couple of years.
Are you brave enough to start asking your staff how happy they are with the Sunday Times’ eight factors? You might be pleasantly surprised.
Of you think you’re good enough, registration is open for 2012:
www.bestcompanies.co.uk
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Volunteering for experts | 2011-03-04
With no strings attached.
After a long year of setbacks, I'm finally ready to pick up my charity project again and I'm looking for help.
I'm kicking off Third Sector Surgery in a month or so. It's a new initiative which will give small charities access to expert business advisers for free.
Senior representatives of charities are invited to one-on-one consultations with advisers from various professions in an informal evening ‘surgery’. Experts will cover a variety of business subjects including fundraising, business planning, finance, governance, strategy, marketing, event organisation and more.
Small charities have the same problems as most small businesses, but with smaller budgets the problems seem even bigger. Things like bad branding, lack of strategy, poor financial management and ineffective fundraising can cripple a charity.
However, volunteering can be a huge pain in the arse. I know extremely talented, highly trained professionals that get involved in envelope-stuffing because that's the kind of help charities ask them for. Sometimes it's because they wouldn't dream of asking them to do their regular work voluntarily.
In my experience, giving a charity an hour or two of quality consultancy can be worth a lot more money than running a marathon for them will raise. I ran the London Marathon in 2006, it took me over five and a half hours of pain plus the time it took to get sponsorship and I raised around £1500. I've saved a charity more than twice that in half an hour before. I'm never doing another marathon.
I need some help! I'm looking for:
- Venues that we can use regularly
- Expert advisers who are bloody good at what they do (we've got to be highly selective)
- Charities that need help, but we're only talking to senior people for now
Let me know if you'd like to get involved - liton at litonali.com.
Litonali.squarespace.com
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