Winter

Cold and brisk winds blow.
And the season brings giving.
Brands give us belief.

Spring

Earth is renascent.
We leave the grey for yellow.
Branding is healing.

Summer

Long sun heats the air.
We create cool for balance.
Branding is feeling.

Fall

Orange, brown, and red
The art of learning returns.
Branding gives meaning.

The post Branding is Poetry: A Series of Branding Haiku appeared first on Nao Media and Consulting.

Parents,

Before you invest in headshots, singing lessons, electronic press kits and all the other typical things that parents think they need to prepare their child for childhood stardom, read this article and make sure your plan for marketing and protecting your child is tight. As an entertainment marketing professional, a record label owner, and a father of a five-year old who is interested in music and the arts, my experiences allow me to provide quality insight on how to go about this journey.

The entertainment is not easy. It involves a ton of hard work and sacrifice. The sacrifices come in the form of time away from friends and family and practice instead of non-industry hobbies. Enjoying this process is a lot easier if you and your child have a genuine passion for going after success in the entertainment industry. I had to get that out the way. Now, for the tips:

1. Protect your child

This isn’t really a marketing tip, but it must not go unmentioned: Protect them from anyone or any entity that doesn’t have their best interest at heart. Any person or entity that you involve in your child’s career should be able to prove that they have your child’s best interest at heart. Keep your head on the swivel for predators and opportunists who would love to do nothing but take advantage of you and your child’s ambitions. Put a protection plan into action for offline and online activities.

2. Market them as children!

Not as some mini-version of a popular adult. For one, you want them to have their own identity. Secondly, a little kid signing about adult subjects is strange and can make things uncomfortable for all who are involved (fans included).

3. Include your child

Teach your kid the ropes of whatever marketing practice is being carried out. At some point, they’re going to want to make their own decisions for their brand and you want to make sure they’re prepared to make wise marketing decisions for their brand.

4. Protect what makes the child stand out

If your child is an excellent dancer and that skill is the one that seals the deal for opportunities, it might not be a good idea for you to allow your child to participate in X-Games style extreme sports activities. If she’s a great singer, you should make sure that everything from her diet to her sleep regimen is designed to protect and improve her voice. A great skill is very marketable and you can’t afford to do anything that jeopardizes it.

5. Don’t leave social media to them or any unproven handlers

Children learn quickly and they’ll move on with out you. You want to make sure that you’re staying up-to-date with all the relevant social platforms. If possible, stay ahead of the curve so you can introduce new platforms and ideas to your child. Also, make sure your child is not engaging on a platform that has an age restriction if they’re below the required age. This is especially important for any platforms that are built on sharing photos like Instagram.

6. Invest carefully and openly

If you’re self-funding the marketing of your child, don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Try different things and don’t overextend yourself, which could put you in danger of not being able to take advantage of more promising marketing opportunities in the future. Invest openly and allow your child to see that marketing costs money. As they grow, they’ll need to know that their work must deliver and produce enough revenue to make up for the money that was spent on marketing.

7. Hone and market versatility

Have you ever noticed that most of the talented kids on the Disney Channel can act, sing, and dance? This isn’t a coincidence.

8. Take the bullet for failed marketing

You want to make sure you protect your child’s confidence by not allowing them to be blamed for any unsuccessful marketing. They’ll have plenty of time to learn about failure during their teens and adulthood.

9. Market the work involved

Show the world the amount of work that’s involved in being a child star. Promote videos of them studying with a tutor. Produce a video that shows them in a session with their instrument or voice instructor. Many television shows (especially contest shows like ‘American Idol’) strip the show down to glamorous aspect of the industry. There’s a lot of work that goes into preparing for a performance. Being openly real could open up new opportunities and help prepare other aspiring young artists.

10. Use small opportunities for seasoning

Don’t turn down many opportunities to perform or be interviewed early in their career. These small opportunities will help them prepare for the larger opportunities and platforms later in their career. Nothing is more painful than watching a young entertainer who can’t express themselves comfortably and intelligently.

The post 10 Tips for Marketing Your Superstar Child appeared first on Nao Media and Consulting.

There’s power in gratitude. This power will benefit your life as a whole, which includes your business/career. Gratitude. The idea is simple: Be thankful for the seen and unseen in your business at all times.

Your Team

Your talent and their productivity and efficiency during their time on-the-clock are crucial assets to your business’s success. Their importance demands that you have gratitude for their great work and positive efforts. What about when they’re NOT on the clock? This is when there’s potential for every member of your team to become a marketer for your business. Your expressed gratitude for them will inspire them to speak highly of the business even when they’re not at work. This is the power of gratitude.

Your Customers

We often get so caught up in lead generation and courting new customers that we forget about the customers that we already have. Be thankful for your current customers and let them know that you value their business. Since there’s a business relationship already in place, this creates an opportunity for every client to become an ambassador for your brand. You show gratitude to your customers and you’ll likely receive more business from them and through referrals. Not to be forgotten, you must provide excellent value through good service for this to work. Showing gratitude to a customer that you constantly provide shoddy service to will eventually annoy the heck out of them.

Think Beyond the Surface

A customer complaint can be seen as simply a nuisance or it can be treated like an opportunity. Sure, customer service hasn’t classically been associated marketing; but the lines of all sorts of brand-to-customer communication have been blurred since the advent of social networking. Just like branding has been about everything, marketing is on its way there too. Everything affects everything.

Be thankful for what’s not there. This is faith. Your strong faith in your business creates a magnetic pull. People will want to work with you and generally contribute to your business’s increase. Culture and vibe have just as much (if not more) to do with marketing than any ad campaign you run. Think beyond the surface.

Thank you for reading.

Before you go! How do you and your business show gratitude? And how has it affected your business? Let us know in the comments below.

The post Gratitude and it’s Powerful Role in Marketing appeared first on Nao Media and Consulting.

Passion without action is disrespectful. It’s disrespectful to yourself and to those who depend on your productivity and success. If you’re confident that you’ve found your passion, you’ve completed an important first step; but you can’t stop there.

No one is going to make things happen for you and you can’t impose your will on other people in order to put your passion into action (not talking about healthy delegation). Going beyond passion is totally on you.

In sports, successful professional athletes have passion for their sport but they take it further by expressing that passion through consistent training and performing. This is action.

ACTION

In my personal branding book, O.P.E.N. Routine (aff), I write about taking ACTION (Active Change That Ignites Our Now). Here’s an excerpt:

While it’s important to plan our moves, over planning can leave us stuck. Before you know it, your big idea has been done by someone else. Then regrets and excuses might proliferate in your mind. Regret can yield doubt in future goals and lead to a dangerous cycle of underachievement. This isn’t taking it to the next level. This is regression.

Jump feet first into the ocean of next level branding if you feel ready but aren’t quite clear what to do. Now, I’m not saying take random action. Action without purpose is pointless. Take ACTION that will lead you to your desired destination.

Here are four ACTION steps you can take right now:

1.                  Think big (but not for too long).

2.                  Attack your big idea by breaking it down 
to smaller tasks (aka “chunking”).

3.                  Identify new team members who can help you 
take your brand to the next level. Also better 
utilize your current team members’ strengths.

4.                  Track, measure, and improve the efficiency of all your activities. Excellence at the next 
level requires strict time management. Have you ever noticed that Steve Jobs wore the same outfit (black shirt and jeans) during his many Apple keynotes?

What about failure?

Failure isn’t a temporary stumble along your journey. Failure is when you quit being active in your pursuit of your passion (and excellence) for no good reason. Sometimes waving the white flag is the best decision for you and your family. I’ve done it. But you just better make sure you have a valid reason for doing so.

So what do you do? Don’t give up. Make your dreams come true by getting and staying in motion.

The post Passion Ain’t Enough appeared first on Nao Media and Consulting.

Courtesy of Big Stock Photo

On Friday, April 5th, I had the pleasure of joining Laura Click, Valentina Escobar-Gonzalez, and Kerry Gorgone on a panel for new social media marketers at Social Slam in Knoxville, TN. Many people know that I regard Social Slam as the best marketing conference around. This year was even better, not only because I was able to participate as a sponsor, panelist, and speaker; but the content delivered by everyone was top notch. I’m so happy to have played a part in history.

The social media panel with the awesome ladies mentioned above has inspired me to write this post featuring the simple how-tos for building a digital agency. For a more in-depth breakdown of our panel, check out Laura Click’s article on tips for getting started with social media. So here we go.

The Formula For Building a Digital Agency:

1. Learn everything you can and never stop learning.

Social media and technology in general moves and changes quickly. New tools and techniques pop up everyday. Don’t get left behind. Start by learning each social media platform and eventually graduate to mastering the tools of the trade.

2. Start with the right people on the bus.

If you’re running solo, mentally prepare yourself for long hours and varying levels of psychology when dealing with clients. If you’re looking to grow a team, do what I suggest in the previous sentence and make sure the people you bring on fit with your vision and intended culture.

3. Learn the platforms.

This is an extension of Tip #1. Learn to love maneuvering Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, YouTube/Vimeo, Instagram, and Quora. Each network has their own identity and culture. The rules of the game changes a lot so this will be a “lifelong” commitment.

4. Master the tools.

I suggest using Hootsuite or Sprout Social (if you want to run simple reports for clients) for easy community management. As a new agency, you’ll likely be on-the-go quite a bit so make sure you have your mobile equipped with apps like Echofon and Facebook’s Fan Page management app.

5. K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple “Stoopid”)

Don’t come out the box trying to be everything to everyone. Over deliver value in one or two things and you’ll have the opportunity to expand later.

6. Have respect for your time.

If you know you know your stuff and you know that you’re ready to take on clients, don’t waste time… Jump out there and get moving. As you improve the quality of your offerings, always increase your prices so that you can make sure your agency stays financially healthy. Have respect for your knowledge and time.

7. Reserves, reserves, reserves

This is basic advice for any business: Establish a reserves fund! A digital agency might not have as much liability and inventory (if any) as a grocery store business, but you still must be prepared for emergencies. 

8. Stay off Google Images

For any content you create, make sure you have the rights to use any images associated with the content. This goes for blog posts, websites/landing pages, presentation, etc. Protect yourself by using royalty free images (with attribution) and/or high quality stock images from sites like Big Stock Photo.

9. When you mess up, fess up!

You’re going to mess up. No one is perfect. I told a story about how we (Nao) posted a ridiculous liquor ad on our client Aloe Blacc’s Facebook fan page a couple Thanksgivings ago. We knew Aloe doesn’t drink and his fans could smell the inauthenticity from a mile away. After quick and fierce backlash from his fans, we quickly removed the ad from his page and apologized to Aloe and his fans. Everything worked out. People respect honesty and fessing up quickly after messing up is the best policy for a responsible agency.

Enjoy these tips? Join Chris Craft’s personal branding email community.

The post The Formula For Building a Digital Agency appeared first on Nao Media and Consulting.

Texting (Photo credit: Joi)

In a recent study by Moovweb, stats say that 2016 will bring 448 million mobile payment users in a market worth $617 billion. With more and more people accessing the Internet from mobile devices only, not desktops or laptops, messaging tailored to the format of this device is becoming even more valuable. Here are three reasons sports and entertainment marketers should invest in text-message marketing.

Reason #1: We’re addicted.

Not only is mobile phone use quickly surpassing that of laptops and desktops, but it is also becoming a rapid habit among users.

Because many users keep their cell phones on them at all times, even throughout weekdays at work, marketers now have a tool that can capitalize on this, reaching their target market anywhere at anytime.

Reason #2:  It’s cheap.

Compared to the traditional marketing route, including expensive TV and print placements, text campaigns are much more cost-effective, especially since they work well with other online efforts you’re probably already implementing, including social media campaigns.

This mobile and online integration makes the perfect marriage of communicating with potential customers while they peruse their favorite social media networks and while they move from place to place beyond the Internet through their text-message receiving mobile devices.

Reason #3: It’s welcomed.

The best part about text marketing is that branded text messages can only be sent to customers who want to receive them. Meaning, customers have to formally agree to receive text communication from a brand in order to get them.

Because these customers are active participants, this makes text-message marketing a very effective way to reach the target audience. It is estimated that more than 90 percent of campaign text messages are read by recipients and have a response rate that is much higher than traditional media.

Text message marketing also allows businesses to get creative with their offering to entice reactions to calls for action. For example, brands can offer mobile coupons, send sale/event reminders and updates on product launches and service offerings.

The post 3 Reasons to Consider Text-Message Marketing appeared first on Nao Media and Consulting.

Man portrait (Photo credit: @Doug88888)

Marketers generally consider the 18-49 y/o male demographic as apathetic and elusive. But here’s the thing… Men will spend money on sports-related activities before dropping cash on a $20 co-pay for a much needed doctor’s visit. Sports leagues and franchises have figured out how to tap into the male brain and separate us from our cash. What have they figured out that other industries haven’t? Keep reading and you’ll find out.

Power

The male ego is large enough to be a Wonder of the World. Our superstitions, rituals, and opinions suggest that we play a role in how things unfold in a game. If a man feels like he has no control in a situation or over a product, it usually won’t be “worth” his investment. Put the male ego in the driver’s seat and you’ll get the sale.

Simplicity

Everyone simply likes winners. Men spend money to “be on” the winning team. Some sports franchises have even figured out how to keep men coming despite a losing tradition, which leads us to…

Rare Loyalty

Women are more committed to their brand(s) of choice. Men are roamers and typically struggle with commitment (of all kinds). But when it comes to sports, men love to claim their commitment to their team. Some men will lie about their commitment just to appear committed. This is where the term “bandwagon fan” comes from. This commitment, whether genuine or not, yields revenue for the sports industry.

Familiarity & Comfort

Men are typically raised to play and/or appreciate sports. Men relate to athletic activity, which makes spending money on sports easier to do. Selling comfort is typically a good direction to go for most products and services.

Fantasy & Opinion

Professional athletes are the cream of the crop, but male fans like to imagine themselves in the shoes of the athlete. This is where the term “Monday Morning Quarterback” comes from. Men love discussing what they would have done in a particular game scenario; but they can only discuss it if they see it. The auxiliary winners here are television makers, mobile platforms, sports streaming networks, blogs/fan forums, and cable networks with sports programming.

Gamification

As a result of men’s love of Power combined with Fantasy & Opinion, we often love playing games outside the game. We like putting things (fantasy sports teams) together and being in control of the pieces after assembly. Above all that, we seek and enjoy competition. This is why fantasy sports is a $2 billion per year industry. Sports video games and simulators have become a staple investment of capital and time for men for decades. As the gameplay becomes more realistic, the interest and demand will only increase. The huge Madden video game franchise is an example of the magnitude of gamification in the male demographic.

Sex & Visuals

This isn’t a complex concept. Men are typically superficial beings when it comes to sex. We are enticed by what appeals to our eyes. It’s no coincidence that sports franchises invest in cheerleaders and dancers as part of the entertainment aspect of the game. Sex sells.

Connectivity & Urgency

Everyone reacts to urgency in buying decisions. Based on research, women have been shown to do more impulse purchasing; but the sports industry proves that men aren’t immune to impulse. As soon as a season ends, fans are emailed, tweeted, called, and texted with sales pitches for season tickets for the next season. Since entertainment in general has gone mobile, so have the avenues for fans to be sold to.

If you’re a marketer who’s stumped on how to reach men with your brand, use sports as a blueprint, and you’ll be well on your way.

For more advice from Christopher Craft, grab a copy of his new book O.P.E.N. Routine on personal branding, here.

The post How Sports Get Men To Buy appeared first on Nao Media and Consulting.

Wordle Cloud of the Internet Marketing Blog – 08/15/08 (Photo credit: DavidErickson)

Some marketers may think content marketing is easy, but making mistakes in such an important facet of marketing is even easier. We’ve put together four common mistakes made by content marketers so that you can avoid the pitfalls and be a sports marketing rock star when creating content.

1. Valuing Quantity Over Quality

Lots of marketers focus on churning out content quickly rather than working hard to make the content meaningful. To make sure the quality of the posts don’t suffer, keep certain elements of successful storytelling in mind like inspirational stories and solutions that solve a common problem.

2. Focusing Only on Blog Content

A good content strategy doesn’t end with your blog. Being engaging on the appropriate social media channels, including Twitter and Instagram since both are heavily used by sports brands, is just as important. This is especially true when considering the fact that search engines are now placing more emphasis on social media presence and popularity.

To determine which complementary networks you should also being providing content for, think about the way in which you want your particular sports marketing content shared. Assets could include video, documents, slide and infographics. Also consider the leverage of a third-party advocate. Guest posting is a great way to expand exposure.

3.  Pushing Only Positive and Promotional Messages

Most people will agree that selling during a social event is a turn off. The same concept applies to content strategy. Since a content marketing strategy uses mainly social-media friendly spaces to disperse information, it’s crucial that the information you present is more helpful or interesting than it is commercial.

Don’t talk your visitor’s ear off and don’t turn them off with a sales pitch. Share information with them and discuss relevant topics with them in order to keep their attention and convey the authenticity that they would look for in a friend in similar social situations.

4. Forgetting to Measure Results

The only way to know what you’re doing right, so that you can keep it up, and what you’re doing wrong – so that you can fix it – is to measure the results of your content marketing strategy.

Metrics can be a daunting word to some. But, with clear goals and the appropriate measuring tools, you’ll be able to determine which posts and topics have made the biggest impact on customers and why.

A few stats to look for when measuring are: click-through rates, time spent on site, bounce rate and unique visitors are all sales-focused metrics.

Keeping these traps in mind will help you to work around them, forming a plan that works. By creating a strong content marketing strategy, your sports brands will receive the traction you’re working so hard (and spending so much money) to achieve. Stick to your objectives and stay consistent. Then, you’ll see the positive results you’re looking for.

The post 4 Content Marketing Mistakes in Sports appeared first on Nao Media and Consulting.

influence (Photo credit: Sean MacEntee)

Influence marketing is all the rage right now for brands — and for good reason. If you get an influencer on your brand’s side, the possibilities for generating more business are multiplied. Consumers trust those social networking superstars because of their reputation for recommending great products, and brands trust them to spread their positive opinions as they convert followers into customers. To position your client as an influencer, follow these four guidelines.

1. Make Your Client Personable

If your client is a company and not an athlete or entertainment celebrity, a face must be associated with it in order for consumers to relate. Help your client be genuine and consult with them on how to offer real insight and advice that is relevant to the specific audience. This authenticity is the first step in becoming an influencer.

2. Don’t Just Follow, Lead

A great way to start leading is to follow other leaders first. See what influencers in other industries are doing that works and avoid mimicking things that don’t. Next, add your own personality and angle to the topics that make it very clear your stance and unique sharing style. This will begin to position you as a trendsetter, growing your following and influence.

3. Remember, Quality Over Quantity

You cannot become an influencer if your followers don’t trust you. So, when stating your opinion, be sincere and also provide all the facts or research to encourage your followers to form their own opinions. This will only reinforce your authority and authenticity. Also, be careful of who or what you endorse. Know that if you support low quality services, you may be considered guilty by association and lose your credibility.

4. Treat Competitors with Respect

It’s simply good business practice to be respectful of your competition. By supporting your industry as a whole, everyone benefits, and it makes your followers respect you that much more. Congratulate competitors and play by the rules. It won’t go unnoticed by your followers nor will their support for you go unacknowledged by you.

Now you’re ready to reap the benefits of being an influencer, transforming fans into seriously loyal consumers.

The post 4 Ways to Turn Your Clients Into Influencers appeared first on Nao Media and Consulting.

Basketball heads knew of Irving’s place amongst the point guard hierarchy long before his selection to the All-Star game two weeks ago. Averaging 23 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds as a 20 year old speaks for itself. But stars, those who crossover (no pun intended) to the casual fan, are defined by moments. Kyrie’s came in the form of this ankle breaking crossover in the Rising Stars game:

The move became the talk of Twitter. GIFs were created within minutes. The crossover checked off all the boxes of viral. Irving followed that up by winning the 3 point shootout the next day. After his victory, he said “We’re not nationally televised. This weekend is to show my face to the fans and get everybody acclimated to my face in the league”. And what better way to show fans in 2013 who you are than starring in a GIF?

The post Kyrie’s Time appeared first on Nao Media and Consulting.