If you don’t take part in the social media networks and online communities, then you are missing out on opportunities – and I can guarantee your competition will be found EVERYWHERE you are not, communicating in EVERY WAY you are not, and most importantly accessible to people seeking YOU out! It used to be that YOU seek out the clients by advertising in various industry magazines, newspapers and the like and you WOW them with your clever or funny advertising headlines, but not anymore, now THEY SEEK YOU OUT by researching online and finding the truth. You can’t hide behind great advertising anymore, people expect more, they want transparency.

As you grow your circle of friends through face to face networking, you get the opportunity to build on the TRUST that people desire before wanting to do business with you. You re-enforce your brand, your beliefs and mission and hopefully develop long-term relationships to help you get your brand in words out and people talking about you.

Additionally, you can further connect through the social media platforms. You can build your social network online too – with real people who truly are interested in your business and will comment on your page. So it is a win win situation…. the “good” part of this article headline.

Face to face networking will be effective IF…

1. You don’t become “a member” of a group that pressures you to refer the “members” in the group

You can’t “buy” referrals, you earn them. So when people start referring you because they are under pressure to under the “membership rules”, it deceives the PURPOSE and POINT of what a referral is, and could ruin your reputation in the process. If you start referring for numbers (referring under pressure to have five referrals issued by the next meet up), rather than to truly help a business with a “good fit” recommendation on both ends, then it’s basically FAKE and not likely to go well. But it was a referral so you “TRUSTED” your referrer’s judgment. And the downward spiral of that is – whoever you disappoint is highly unlikely to develop your friendship any further – there’s nothing worse than a bad fit… and we’ve all had them, when they don’t pay on time, don’t think the same way or are just plain difficult!

Many networking groups are a business, they need members. And they need to set rules in place because they are under pressure to ensure happy members.

Don’t let that destroy the true essence of what networking is about, or it could potentially be a waste of your time and money!

2. The networking “group” IS OPEN to people wanting to join other networking groups

I find it ridiculous when networking groups are offended if you spread your wings to other networking groups. I’ve seen it all, from two networking groups crossing paths at the same venue but choose to keep themselves separated rather than join in with fellow like minded networking business professionals ie. new business relationships, AKA – potential business opportunity! It’s ok if there’s a special agender, but if it’s just a casual meet, why not network amongst each other????? Is that really a crazy idea? Or you are a member of one and switch membership to another and the new group welcome you with open arms but the old group don’t want anything to do with you any more.

It’s your own personal choice – whichever networking group works in your best interest, right? And the more groups you get involved with the more doors open! Networking is after all about meeting “new” people, having the strange misconception that one group cannot network with another defeats the PURPOSE and POINT of what networking is all about– there are business opportunities when and where you LEAST expect! A potential business opportunity can come from anywhere if you are open to it!

Networking ultimately is about creating a network of friends and business relationships…. not an “exclusive club” with limited membership and an attitude about whom they mix with and pressure to refer those members. The more doors you open – the more opportunities will come along. Every door you close is a missed opportunity!

3.You are looking for long term sustainable relationships FIRST – not instant sales

Those that meet and HARD-CORE SELL, come across as IRRITATIING and UNINTERESTING, desperate or just plain unprofessional. It’s too pushy. However, with the right mindset to meet and form new, long lasting relationships, you are more likely to slowly build up a circle of professional people that, as you continue to meet up with, may very well over time, eventually, either need your delicious offering OR refer you to one of their friends that need your delicious offering. So don’t expect anything when you meet for the first, second or third time! Get to know these people, give them a chance to learn about you, and learn about their business! Become a consistent friendly face and begin to make a strong impression. Give them a chance to become a fan and help spread the word for you! Eventually, your circle of professional friends will build up, you will begin to get REAL REFERELS and the work will start to come in naturally. But it takes time. Patience really is the key and remember, as you get to know people, get to understand their business and what’s going on in their world, you too will get a chance to refer people since you have grown and strengthened your circle and have REAL relationships with REAL friends that believe in you and you believe in them.

4. You don’t fall into the trap of only seeing the same 8 – 12 faces ALL the time

The best way to get new business is to meet lots of people. The more fabulous people in your growing circle of friends, the more likely you are to build SUSTAINABLE relationships that create conversation and buzz about you and your offerings with people that may either want to do business with you NOW, in the future when they are ready, or perhaps one day know someone they’d happily recommend you to… or even know someone that knows someone that needs your services and can refer you. Naturally, rather than forcefully, you will over time, build a circle of friends that are sustainable because they were drawn to you, and you were drawn to them and something simply clicked. Those kind of relationships are so very precious, they are a blessing in disguise.

With the right attitude and aptitude, you can enjoy quality clients or customers and offer quality referals that you are confident will do two very important networking accomplishments:

1. Give you a good reputation by referring with quality and a good fit in mind
2. Solidify your friendship with both parties involved in the referral – the person/company refereed and the customer
3. Create stronger relationships to better position yourself for business opportunities/referrals coming your way

5. You see competition as healthy

Generally speaking, a successful business is a business that leads by example, is innovative and inspires others. When you have that, you have a brand, and a brand is about being yourself because everybody else is taken. When you have that, you have confidence in your offerings and when you have confidence in your offerings you believe in what you are doing. And when you truly believe in what you are doing, others will believe in you. And when others believe in you, you develop a following of believers, fans if you like. And with fans comes word of mouth and referrals.

When you have all that, you don’t need to worry about the competition. Your cause and belief will be different and unique enough to attract your own kind of clients and customer that believe in you. When you know and understand your business brand and communicate that effectively to your employees and circle of friends, then they too will understand and believe in you, your cause and offerings.

With this in mind, there is absolutely no reason AT ALL for a networking group to issue out an “exclusive membership” for ONLY one business in each category or field. Basically what they are doing is saying that when a friend you know needs a lawyer, you must have the lawyer’s back by referring Lawyer from the “membership category” to that friend. Networking groups that enforce this are completely misunderstanding what networking and referring is all about. If you are in a group that only offers one member from each business category, and you are pressured to refer your fellow exclusive members, then YOU are not surrounding yourself with enough choice
in your networking circle to refer the RIGHT company with the RIGHT customer. You are limited to that one Law Firm, that one Accounting Company or that one Plumper in your constricted circle. What if six out of ten members are awful? Either you are going to refer them under pressure to produce EXPECTED referrals every month, OR not many referrals are going to be going out! It puts pressure on you to do the right thing in the networking groups mind, but the wrong thing for parties involved – and we’ve already talked about the “wrong fit!”

It’s always better to have choices, open lots of doors for successful networking and and stay open minded . There is nothing wrong with competition people! It just makes you work harder. Everybody is different and has their own unique brand. If you don’t then get one! Put your brand into words and don’t worry about what the competition is doing, do it your way!

Remember, you can’t buy referrals, you have to earn them. A little hard work and sweat will make the difference!

allydesign Branding, Design and Marketing Services.

I’m not driven by money, luxury or status, I’m driven by passion, knowledge and compassion. I continue to want to progress as a human being – learning, reaching out to people and developing long-lasting relationships – climbing the ladder in the corporate world and making more money whilst stabbing a few people in the back along the way – just doesn’t interest me.

When speakers and motivators sell their seminars or webinars they more often than not do this:
1. Offer a £12,000 seminar to you for £600 (If that’s one of their strategies, it the oldest trick in the book!)
2. Mention their strategy has made them 600,000 – 1 million a year as living proof. (I know many of you, you’re not millionaires)

Their sales technique, isn’t very innovative is it? It’s like as bad as a “stereotype car salesman”. The motivation for money is not inspiring but rather dangling a carrot in front of you. I’m not stupid, I don’t believe what you are selling is worth £12,000. I certainly don’t trust you now, and if that’s what I see as a first impression, it’s a turn-off – I question just how innovative or trustworthy you are when it comes to giving advice on being a success. I also question your morals and principles. A little shifty to me.

To me, happiness and success is about being honest and real, being you, serving because you truly believe. Having a cause bigger than yourself and inspiring others. This leads to great leadership and something far greater than money. In my world it’s not about the money….

It’s about the journey of your personal growth and development and how you inspire others.

Touching people in some way and the impression you leave behind when you are gone – that is how to measure your success, not by the amount of money you make. When I work with some of the most amazing people that strive to make a difference, that are passionate about what they are doing and are not driven by money and wealth, but passion, I feel I HAVE reached the top. I feel like I have been blessed to be given the opportunity to be a part of that, inspiring me to be a better person. Life is beautiful not because of the things we see or do but because of the people we meet.

The clash of egos, the want to take credit when a job was done well but easy passing off of responsibility and accountability when things don’t quite go as planned, the lack of honesty and amount of ass-kissing rather than standing up for what you believe, is repugnant. The systems and set ups in place are to be followed without question. You must wear your suit and fit in with the office rules and regulations or get squashed no matter how ridiculous or strange they might be to you. I’ve lived it, breathed it and hated it…. When you get caught up in “that” world, you lose your true sense of direction, you lose your identity, dignity, passion and compassion.

It’s called the corporate world and office politics.

The corporate world definitely isn’t for everyone, but there are great leaders out there that do things a little differently, lead by example not by fear. There are people that recognise talent but are more interested in hiring the right person for the team than the most experienced. There are people that believe you should be yourself because everybody else is taken.

But sadly it is rare. So lets lead by example and inspire, motivate and encourage personal growth. Lets be the leaders that set a good example with passion and compassion and believe in something far greater than ourselves.

allydesign Branding, Design and Marketing Services.

He frequently states that his life is guided by three major commitments:

• The promotion of basic human values or secular ethics in the interest of human happiness.
• The fostering of inter-religious harmony.
• The preservation of Tibet’s Buddhist culture, a culture of peace and non-violence.

One would hope to see similar commitments in the interest of a thriving business, when you delve deeply into your business ethics (Brand):

• The basic human values or secular ethics in the interest of your employees, clients and shareholders happiness
• The fostering of harmonious diversity
• The preservation of your brand culture, a culture of respect, honesty, passion and above all integrity

Without fundamental values and beliefs serving as a basis of weight, measure, value, comparison, or judgment, how can YOUR “recognized excellence” be established within your company DNA (Internally or externally)?

For a company to be an inspiration to others, or be innovative, you need imagination. The power of imagination makes us infinite. Leadership requires imagination, innovation and passion. And to find that you need to create your own commitments or business ethics, and those business ethics are your BRAND . Your brand is your DNA and your brand in words is the proof of your imagination, innovation and passion – your leadership.

All the great leaders like Richard Branson and Bill Gates know their DNA and pursue greatness through the power of commitments. All of us have imagination inside us, it’s part of our DNA as human beings. We have all witnessed the power of the imagination to deeply connect people, to open our minds to new ideas, and express our innermost sacred selves. The imagination isn’t simply just reserved for children, the imagination can be for all of us. A very real gateway to understanding, innovation, liberation and leadership.

Great leaders acknowledge the power of the creative spirit and celebrate it as essential to the creation and compassion of action. Inspiring others is why leaders have followers. A great example of a leading brand with followers is Harley Davidson. Their brand speaks volumes when talking about a following, they created a culture of followers that identify and connect with Harley Davidson in such a way that they believe the brand is part of their own DNA and culture, so much so in fact, some even tattoo the Harley Davidson logo on their body.

All of us should find our own ways of reaching out and connecting with people, to create your own ways of reaching out and extending a hand of friendship, respecting others and inspiring excellence to everyone in our community- whether it be on a business level or personal level.

Each and every one of us should stand up and be counted, whether you are an office worker, office manager or CEO, every one of us should give the very best of ourselves. Not just for our own benefit, but for the benefit of all of us collectively. There may be times when we ask ourselves, what is my best? What is it that I have to give? And so often, our best is within our personal narrative. It is often ones own story, ones own truth which then becomes everyone’s story, becomes apart of everyone’s truth. It is the beginning of what makes great business communities, teams and corporations. There is something to be said about this quote by Simon Sinek, “Weak companies hire the right experience to do the job. Strong companies hire the right person to join their team”.

Business should be about community, I know now that it is possible to change the world we live in, to help each other out and build healthy relationships. If you do not have a brand to inspire others, that defines your DNA, you risk being the same. And being the same means you are not preserving your own brand culture.

allydesign Branding, Design and Marketing Services.

Surprisingly a Thai lady named her cook book “Cooking with Poo”. In Thailand “Poo” means “Crab” and Poo was her nickname. As it happens this book actually won an award for the oddest book title in 2012 and funnily enough led an expanded product line including an apron saying “I cooked with Poo and I liked it”

So as it happen’s this seemingly unsavoury name ended up working in her favour. But you don’t always get that lucky!
Before you run out and try to find a name that could potentially get you some unusual PR attention you might prefer to consider something a little less out there!

Here’s some important questions you should ask yourself:

• Clarify what you are offering
• What does your product/service do?
• What are the main benefits of your offerings?
• If it’s a product, what is is made of and what solution does it provide?
• If it’s a service, what does it promise to deliver?

Clarify who you appeal to:

• Who is your target market?
• What is your niche?
• How do your potential clients talk? Formal vs. Informal

Other important factors to consider:

• Has someone already used that name?
• Is the name easy to pronounce and spell?
• Does it sound like something else?
• Is it relevant to my target audience?
• Will this be a single product or will it be part of a collection?
• Where will the name appear? On a website? A billboard? T-shirts? etc

allydesign Branding, Design and Marketing Services.

• Previous
• Next

allydesign Branding, Design and Marketing Services.

The best way to explain good marketing sense is from a book by Simon Sinek, “Start with Why”. It may not be an original concept, but it deserves to be spread to the communities. It’s an inspiration for any business looking to be a success in today’s world of marketing.

When most companies or people think, act or communicate they do so from WHAT, to HOW, to WHY. And for good reason, they go from the clearest thing to the fuzziest thing. We say what we do, we sometimes say how we do it but we rarely say WHY we do WHAT we do. But not the inspiring companies, not the inspirational leaders. They start with WHY and end with WHAT. Choosing to inspire rather than manipulate.

People don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it. It’s the discipline to never veer from your cause and hold yourself accountable that enhances an organisations ability to work to it’s natural strengths. When you start with WHY, your organisation’s product or service gives life to a common cause. It’s not WHAT that distinguishes you it’s WHY.

WHY.

You need to start with WHY – What is your purpose, cause or belief? For example, “to challenge the status quo and to empower the individual”…. Why does your company exist? Why do you get out of be every morning and why should anyone care?Those who believe what you believe are drawn to you. If you don’t know why, you can’t know HOW.

HOW.

Once you know WHY you do what you do, the question is HOW you do WHAT you do. Whether you call them a differentiating factors or unique selling advantages, HOWS are often given to explain how something is different or better. How we do things manifests in the systems and processes within an organisation and the culture. Everything you say and everything you do has to prove what you believe. HOW are the actions you take to realise your belief (WHY).

WHAT.

Every single company and organisation knows WHAT they do. Everyone is easily able to describe the products or service. WHATS are the results of “HOW” actions – everything you say and do, your products, services, marketing, PR, culture and whom you hire. If people don’t buy your WHAT you do but WHY you do it, then all these things must be consistently communicated.

WHO.

You need to know who you are talking to – You have to be absolutely clear on WHO your target audience is.

How does my business identify and identify-with, my target audience?

This question comes up a lot. Many people struggle with it. But it’s very important as it helps you put your product in front of the people who want it. But first before you do anything, you must clarify WHY you do WHAT you do. This will help you figure out the rest.

Example 1

This is how NOT starting with WHY communicates:

We make great computers.
They are beautifully designed, simple to use and user friendly.
Wanna buy one?

It’s not very compelling is it? But it is how most companies sell to us.

Example 2

This is what Apple communicates when starting with WHY:

Everything we do, we believe in challenging the status quo. We believe in thinking differently.
The way we challenge the status quo is by making our products beautifully designed, simple to use and user-friendly.
And we happen to make great computers.
Wanna buy one?

It’s a completely different message. Apple doesn’t simply reverse the order of information, their message starts with WHY, a purpose, cause or belief that has nothing to do with WHAT they do. WHAT they do – the products they make, from computers to small electronics- no longer serves as the reason to buy, they serve as the tangible proof of their cause.

Ok so let’s move on, we now understand the method of thinking, now we need to take this valuable information and build a solid brand and product/service to market…

Identifying your target audience:

What is a target audience and why do I need one?
A target audience is a group of people who want and/or need your product or service and therefore will likely buy it.
And, no, it can’t be anyone and everyone! Without some idea of WHO you are targeting you run the danger of alienating potential clients. Without a clear target audience you’ll speak to no one. Your target audience can be quite wide. If you sell children’s clothes, for example, your target audience is people with children.

You can narrow this down even more depending on your products and services. If your child’s clothes, for example, are “sporty” inspired outfits you are then targeting parents who have children and are interested in sporty apparel.

At this stage of clarity, you have found your niche in the market.

What steps can I take to find my target audience?

Do some research but not too much, absolutely check out your competition briefly but then ignore them.

Review your products/services then answer these questions:
a. What are the features of your product/service? List them all.
b. What are the benefits of these features?
c. How do those benefits help your customer?

You now have a clear idea of WHAT you do & HOW you are doing it. Time to figure out WHO.

*If you struggled with this or any of the tasks below, perhaps your business is much more complicated or you need something more in-depth, there is a process called the Brand Filtration that we do that can help with all of these tasks.

If you have an existing business you can do this:
a. Review your client list, split it into 2 columns: Those you love working with and those you don’t.
b. Look at those who you love working with and establish common facts; male/female, age, etc ..
c. You should see some similarity – and those similarities between them all – is your target audience.

Need more clarity? Then this exercise will help:
a. Determine the price of your product or services and how much money you want to make.
There is a direct link between your target audience and spending power. Designing a product that is for single parents and high-priced will automatically result in a mismatch. Similarly, making something too cheap when you are offering something to the affluent and elite isn’t going to work either. You have to get the right balance.

b. Look at the people around you, who in your present-day network would be an ideal client?

Chances are you know at least one person who would be the perfect client. Study them!

Make your target audience a person.

Now it’s time to make your target audience a person (or a group of people)
What is their name?
How old are they?
Male or female?
Marital status?
Children?
Profession?
Average annual income?
Favourite holiday destination?
Favourite clothes brands?
Favourite movies, songs etc …?
Favourite food?
Lifestyle preferences (fit, foodie, couch potato)?

Why?
Whenever you communicate what your business does you need to talk directly to that person. This gives you a good perspective of how to reach out to your audience. This will save you time, money and help you avoid talking to the wrong people.
You can design a few characters but they should have a lot in common.

Evaluate your findings

Once you have a clear idea who your target audience is, and how your products/services are going to help them, you need to evaluate your list.

Ask yourself these questions (and be brutally honest with yourself):
1. Are there enough people on the planet who need this?
2. Do these people really need what I have to offer?
3. Will they see the value in what I’m selling?
4. Can they afford it?
5. Do I have access to these people? (do you know how you can communicate your message to them?)

Keep in mind, just because you have defined your target market as being X doesn’t mean you can’t change it. You don’t want your target audience to be too narrow. You can have a few niches.

Need help getting marketing your business? Get in touch!

allydesign Branding, Design and Marketing Services.

Using quirky and fun photos to illustrate report findings is certainly an interesting way to breath new life into the traditional annul report format. I’ve designed many annual reports over the years and I have to say, no matter how creative you get with them, reading the “message from the CEO” and pie charts is not exactly riveting.

Here’s a video from last year, you’ll see that this isn’t the first annual report idea they’ve had!

After the buzz for this project dies down however, I wonder if they will continue to use Instagram? If it’s true that #calgaryzoo is a popular hashtag, maybe the zoo should consider being active on their official Instagram account.

Here’s some visual examples of how they did it….

Introduction to the Board of Trustees (Flamingos!)

Topics gallery

Website version:

According to Trigger, the marketing firm that pitched the idea, zoo officials “loved the paperless solution” and approved the visual project within minutes.

allydesign Branding, Design and Marketing Services.

While I’ve seen variations in dates categorizing Baby Boomers, Gen Y, Gen X, andTraditionalists, the following chart will give you a good idea of what people are talking about:

• Traditionalists: Born before 1946
• Boomers: 1946 – 1964
• Generation X (Gen X): 1965 – 1980
• Millennials or Generation Y (Gen Y): 1981 – 2000

Which generation are you from? Check out the comparison:

allydesign Branding, Design and Marketing Services.

allydesign Branding, Design and Marketing Services.

Most people think that being remarkable is unattainable, too hard. When they compare themselves to the likes of Apple or Nike who make remarkable products they simply don’t believe they can achieve anything quintessentially that remarkable.

I’m here to tell you this: YOU DON’T HAVE TO.

Remarkable means worthy of notice or attention, so something that would cause someone to remark about it.

How do we become remarkable? Being remarkable starts with behaviour and your attitude, this approach has nothing to do with your product but your customers might start to trust you enough to be much more open and responsive. Start acting remarkable toward your customers, and this behaviour may very well cause your customers to bring you great ideas that might become the next remarkable product.

Think about how you can build better trust in partnerships and approach customers in such a way that promotes notice.

allydesign Branding, Design and Marketing Services.