I was floored by the changes that G+ came out with last night (actually just a few hours ago as I write this) and I wanted to share a few of my personal insights with you.

As you know, I’m a designer so visuals, functionality and user experience (UX) and all very important to me. Google in general has made strides in the past few years first making major updates to their gmail platform. I knew they must have finally decided to focus some attention on visuals and UX at that point.

Now, I’m certain of it.

I’ve been active on G+ for the past few months and really like their Hangouts and Communities features in particular. But this article is going to focus a bit more on a few things I have noticed just in the past hour or so of looking over the new G+ and how I believe it will allow us to enhance our brands.

Remember that this is just a tool. It’s not your homebase, but it has a lot of potential to boost traffic and get your message out in a number of ways. So let’s explore, shall we?

ONE

First off, I see a new layout. It’s shiny. It’s clean. It’s….well…brilliant.

Aside from the massive image which takes up the entire screen when done properly (not pictured here but you can see it on my profile), the use of space is incredible.

You will notice that it’s timeline-esq (like Facebook), but carried out so much better. It makes more sense and it has loads of new features which we’ll break down here shortly. Just bask in its glory. Ok..moving on.

TWO

Note the right hand side of the above picture. It tells me something incredible when I view someones profile. The placement of the “in your circles” information is perfect for someone when they first visit your profile. This is part of the social credibility you need to slowly built your reputation.

I have noticed over the past week that my following has increased by about 150 people. I have no idea how, but I intend to find out. I have a feeling it’s a result of me posting much more frequently since my new found love of Feedly.

Again, beautiful, but mainly, very appropriate for helping call out faces of people you may already know who follows the profile you’re looking at.

THREE

Next I want you notice the icons that give me access to so many tools with one-click. It’s easy to find everything. It’s logical. That’s the way design is supposed to be. We should be able to get to what we need within a couple clicks, the fewer the better. G+’s new design has done just that.

I didn’t picture it but the left sidebar is similar. I can access anything from my profile to communities to hangouts on air with just 1 click. Very well done G+, very well done.

FOUR

Next up, one thing that has some serious power is the hashtag feature they’ve added. It automatically picks up a tag for what I post and relates it to other people’s content that I can then view…again with 1 click. At least that’s what I see happening with it right now.

Notice the tag on the right. And below you’ll see what happens when I click on it.

And presto! I have access to random other people that have posted similar things. This is incredibly powerful for both me to find people but also for others to find me. I see this being a HUGE feature in the coming months that only adds the power of connecting.

FIVE

The last one I’ll leave you with is back to the main screen. It basically just makes my update seem much more “official” or something like that. I really don’t know why but I love the way it front and centers what I’m working on.

Of course you have all the ways of tagging people or sharing various types of content, but it just seems so much more fluid than anything I’ve dealt with before.

In a nutshell…

I can’t wait to dig in more. I’m very excited to have what seems to be a more central location for everything on Google. I know they’ve been moving this way for some time, it’s just great that it’s coming together. I know, people hate Google for controlling stuff, whatever. I get all that but honestly, just use it as a tool and go on with your life.

That said, I’m going to be using this for sure. I encourage you to jump on my email list if you haven’t (that’s where the awesome people are anyway) and add me on G+.

I plan to start doing coffee chats to talk about branding and connecting with people and will be sharing the majority of other people’s awesome content on this platform. So that’s your action items, do them both. Pretty please?

Subscribe for free.

Join me on G+

This podcast episode is just me, no interviewee. And I talk about what I presented them with and how it relates to each of us. Here is a little of what I touched on.

• You have superpowers
• Use your powers for good
• Get creative in your careers
• How we define our name like Ironman
• Where the Internet and our lives mesh

Part of me thinks the presentation was a little over some of their heads…but none of them seemed to be too bored so I’m okay with that. The teachers all joined in with some comments and it seemed they really understood what I was bring to the table.

My hope is that you’ll do the same. Stay creative with your careers. Understand the power of the web. And use your powers for good. Thanks for listening!

View on iTunes | Can’t see player? | Download the MP3

Resources

Chris Brogan – World Domination Summit Speech

It’s Not About the Tights – Chris Brogan’s latest book

Mike Vardy

Kimanzi Constable

Book launch and bonuses

What’s this book about?

In a nutshell, The Connection Brand is a short, but powerful, book on how to turn your clients into your most dedicated salespeople. I have found several brands ranging from Apple to Dave Ramsey to Jeff Goins and small bloggers that have built incredible followings to the point where they really don’t have to do much marketing but rather, we market for them.

In the book I discuss 3 Super Powers you can use to help achieve incredible results over time with your target audience. They are relationships, stance and psychology. By focusing on one of these powers, you will be able to have your clients talking about you to their friends and put word of mouth on steroids.

Connection brands are the future. They are here now, but we will see many more form over the coming years due to the rise of communication and social media. The key to becoming one is to act now! 

Super Bonuses Until May 31!

Head on over to the bonus page and check out what you’ll get if you purchase this now!

Thanks for your support in spreading this message, but more importantly, in spreading your message. That’s what this book is designed to do…help you go deeper with your clients and get more exposure for your brand.

Want to help spread the word?

I’ve setup a book launch resource page. Go grab what you need there and plaster it all over. Thanks!

My friend, Ernie Wenk, has recently released the first of several booklets that target those people that have just been promoted to a higher position. This makes a lot of sense for personal branding too, if we really think about it.

For example. The booklet targets managers that used to be one of the workers and now has some power over his friends on the job. Sometimes we can end up in that position as we progress in our platform building. We can make friends with others over a period of time and then suddenly, one of us progresses and the others are left in the dust a little. So how does that person handle a new level of leadership? Do they let it go to their head? Or do they take lessons and apply proper leadership principles?

Of course, it’s the latter. Which is why this book is a great, quick read. It gives very practical advice for anyone who has just gotten a little jolt of power, particularly if it’s on the job. Honestly, I want to buy hardcopies of this and hand it out to every shift manager I’ve ever seen at IHOP or Kohls.

So there you have it. I’m recommending this booklet simply because of it’s leadership principles and practical advice. Even if you aren’t in a job somewhere or plan on being a shift manager, it still sheds light on something we all need to take advice on. Be humble…we all had to begin somewhere.

Check out Ernie’s post about the book here. You can also grab a copy at smashwords for only .99!

Methodology.

Streamline.

These are all terms that came about during the industrial age. They mean to find better ways of doing things on a massive scale. Or closely related to that anyway.

The problem is, they don’t scale in the connection economy.

What happens when you process food too much? When you put it through so many steps over a lengthy period of time?

You destroy the essence of it. The nutrients are all but wiped out. The “food” can barely be called food anymore because it’s been factory-made and injected with so many chemicals that you might as well not eat it at all. Nutrition wise, it does little for your body.

Processed foods also have a completely different taste. Most of the time you can tell the difference between them and the original food it started as, if it did in fact start as a real food. The composition of it is just different. The texture is different. It’s no longer the same as it once was.

The problem is that we’ve processed our business to death. We’ve destroyed the essence of it. The nutrients. The real meaning behind why we do it. It’s all gone.

Like processed foods, we have put business through the ringer and turned it into something completely foreign to what it actually started out as. Which is, of course, to serve value to people.

The other problem is that this doesn’t work in the connection economy. We are in a time where people want to build connection with us and want to hear from us personally but we’re doing all we can do “streamline” or “process” our way to be able to serve more people.

The connection economy won’t allow it. We’ve got to get back to the basics of human business and that is going to require removing some processes.

Business has thrived on connections for many years and now that opportunity is resurfacing on a level we’ve never seen before.

Question: What are you doing to truly connect with people? Do they know you care?

Well…are you?

If you don’t know Kimanzi by now, you should. He’s got some mad passion for making radical life changes and has been an integral part of my growth, personally.

In the interview above we talk about his book. We talk about life. And we made sure not to waste your time. The video is less than 15 minutes and well worth the watch as he goes through the 9 steps you need to take to change your life.

Be sure to grab his book immediately and you’ll get $100 in awesome bonuses! But hurry, these bonuses are only good May 1 through May 19!

More info on the bonuses on Kimanzi’s site here.

In a nutshell, go buy the book now. It’s well worth the puny investment. Peace.

By the way, here’s my review of it I posted on Amazon.

We chatted about various things ranging from what “hope” actually is to refugees to his recently released book. This interview got a little more life-changing based but we also noted that the lines between business and life are blurred more now than ever. I will say it’s important to draw lines, but with social media these days, we have to be who we are all the time.

A few things you’ll get from this episode:

• What is “Hope” exactly?
• How we are all connected to each other
• How people are disappointed with life but still figure out how to live it
• Why we need to live for so much more than just the dollar
• 2 things Dave learned from refugees
• God is at work in the hard places in life

I trust you’ll listen to this episode as it’s very powerful. I believe in the message Dave has in his book, Pilgrims of the Alley and I trust you will too.

Thanks again Dave for your contribution to God’s Kingdom, this world, this podcast and my life. You’re awesome, keep up the incredible work!

View on iTunes | Can’t see player? | Download the MP3

Resources of Dave’s

Pilgrim’s of the Alley Book

ReflectionsFromTheAlley.org

Resources We Mention:

Michael Hyatt

My Manifesto – Symphony: A Manifesto of Purpose

I trust that you are looking forward.

Which brings us to an interesting point in history. For the past 100 years or so, the industrial age has had it’s processes and created the way things work into today’s business world. They have done a great job of creating the world we have today, for the most part, and the infrastructure that has been built worked well for many years.

But things have changed.

It’s about connection

They don’t call it the connection economy for nothing. The world revolves around connectivity now and will even more so in the future. We’ll discuss that more a bit at the end of this article though.

Brands today must understand the power of connection and what is has to not only offer, but steal. By that I mean that smaller brands have an opportunity to steal business from the larger ones because of the connection they can form with the consumer. It’s the power of connection that will drive purchases, not price or availability.

Let’s discuss a case study that has been very well documented. The story of Starbucks.

Onward

Back in 2008, Starbucks made some major changes. We’re talking serious changes including closing 7,100 stores for training, shutting down 600 stores and Howard Shultz, the Founder, returning as ceo (not capitalized because they don’t within the company).

This made a serious ruckus because of the abstract and seemingly rash decisions that were being made. But there was a plan. A good one too.

Howard Shultz recognized that the company was in a downward spiral and that they had lost their meaning and purpose. They had forgotten their why and neglected the remain true to the one thing that had allowed them to grow into the huge coffee company they were.

In the book, Onward: How Starbucks Fought For Its Life Without Losing Its Soul, Shultz takes us through the journey from beginning to end of their transformation. Upon examining the state of Starbucks, he said the following.

I always say that Starbucks is at its best when we are creating enduring relationships and personal connections. It’s the essence of our brand, but not simple to acheive…Starbucks in intensely personal.

That speaks volumes to those of us that understand the power of connection. It shows that Shultz really understands that the power to grow lies within the existing customer base and how they feel about the brand itself. That is a huge key to growing in the marketplace today and, especially, in the future.

The other very interesting thing that Starbucks did during this transformation time, was think small. They decided it was time to figure out how they could replicate the Starbucks Experience, as they call it, to every single store. Each store needed to have it’s own unique place in the market but at the same time, had to fit the branding that all other stores had.

To be honest, I’ve noticed this. Every store, while it looks the same for the most part, has different caveats that makes it it’s own. The baristas are all training equally well, but all have their own unique personality. Some stores have slightly quieter music than others based on the location because of the people that typically visit there. And still some have different aromas because of the amount of one type of coffee that is made and served each day.

This makes a lot of sense because it’s important for them to all have their own footprint within the larger corporate one. I trust that regardless of these differences, the drink I order will taste exactly the same at every store. This is something they have all but perfected and personal connection is at the core of every store and everything they do.

What we can take from this is a simple but powerful lesson. The deeper we can go with our connection with our existing clients or customers, the more they will want to talk about us on social media, with their friends or an any other part of life that our products or services can be of assistance to them.

Deep and genuine connection with our clients is a must if we’re going to survive in this connection economy. (Tweet that!)

The 3 Reasons

Now I’m going to discuss the three main reasons that smaller brands have the edge on larger ones. These are the very things that make me so excited to be building my personal brand and the very reason you should be working on yours as well.

1) Flexibility

Small brands are flexible. We have the ability to change our model and shift gears if the market says we need to. And with technology changing as quickly as we can think (sometimes faster), we need to remain flexible.

Larger brands can’t do this as well. They have a hard time turning the ship around when there are 500 or 5000 people involved. It’s simply just not as easy to shift when there’s that type of weight moving forward at full speed. This is exactly why I say that larger brands want to be smaller as we move into the connection economy.

Take note that this doesn’t mean we have to shift every time the market suggests we do. We don’t need to get trigger happy and get away from our core offering or why simply because a new fancy widget came out. It’s important that we be discerning about what we shift to and when. The point is that we, as small brands, have the option to shift fairly easily. Making sure we don’t get in over our head with monthly costs and such is good way to insure we are flexible when the time comes to make a change.

2) Responsiveness

The cousin to flexibility is responsiveness. As one person shops (or very small ones) we need to learn to be responsive to what the industry and our market is wanting. Having the ability to be flexible will do nothing if we don’t actually take action and respond.

I was once asked how I write and release a freebie as quickly as I do. This came from the fact that I did a poll with my audience and had a new (very small) ebook for them within a couple weeks. I did that because I’ve made sure to remain flexible with my time and respond when I see a need. It resonated with a lot of people and helped the position myself as an authority a little more in their mind.

Other brands have done this as well. I know for a fact that Danny Iny of Firepole Marketing did this with a book he released. He went from idea to launch in about 6 weeks. It was something his audience was asking for, so he responded. The result, he was able to build more clout with his audience and provide more value to them when they needed it.

Larger brands can’t do this as well. While they have the ability to turn something quickly because of the workforce, there’s often too many hands involved or committees that have to meet to make something happen fast. Social media and this new economy won’t allow for that in the coming years. Companies will have to learn to liste and become responsive if it fits with what they have to offer and their target audience.

3) Personal Connection

This last one is insanely important. The term relationship marketing hits on this very well and is something that I whole heartedly agree with. It talks about building relationships with your customers or just people in general to get your brand and theirs into the hands of those people that need it.

But personal connection is something that has been lost over the years with marketing and we’re seeing a shift back to this. It’s becoming increasingly important in the connection economy and will be the reason for people to choose one brand over another. Price and availability will take a backseat to how people purchase. Word of mouth will be on steroids as it already is in many places.

When a brand builds a personal connection with us, it’s next to impossible to break it…unless they really screw it up. Larger brands have a harder time doing this because they haven’t been in touch with the first two items here. They haven’t been flexible enough to see the wants of the consumer and behavior or responsive enough to show them customer they care. So the connection build is weak at best.

Smaller brands that offer a similar service can then swoop in a save the day by communicating directly with the customer and that bond will often end in a public shout out to the saving brand and detriment to the larger one. You’ve seen it…I know you have.

Connection is key. I can’t say that enough.

In the future…

Actually, it is the future. I just mean the next 20 years or so. During that time, we are going to see a shift in the way business works even more than we have already. Brands are going to have to connect with us, as we discussed above, but they’re also going to work with each other more.

As we get out of the industrial age, we are going to see an influx of consultants and solopreneurs enter the marketplace. As individuals, we’ll have the ability to maintain the three things discussed above but we’ll be lacking some creativity and the ability to span multiple services.

Enter collaboration.

This is really an entire other post for the future but the gist is that consultants will be the focus of business and things like co-working offices will continue to replace agencies and so forth. We will build our own personal brands over the next several years and that will become our resume and our networks will become our business colleagues.

Big brands will continue to be there for support but they will no longer be the decision makers or innovators of the world. They will take a backseat to personal brands and will work with consultants on a regular basis to help train employees, respond to consumer needs and build connection with consumers.

Where are you?

If you’re like me, you’re a one-person show. I used to believe that I wanted to run a huge ad agency and have several hundred people working for me. That just doesn’t sit well with me anymore because of what I believe the future holds.

So I ask you…where are you? Are you being diligent about building your personal brand so you have a place in the future? I trust if you’re reading this that you’ve not got all your eggs in the basket of your employer, that’s a bad place to be.

If big brands really do want to be us, we should embrace this time now and start getting more focused on building our personal brand so we can go where we want in the future. That is the power of the connection economy. And, as a matter of fact, that’s the power of a connection brand.

Question: Would you agree with me about where business is headed? Do you have any experience to back this up or prove it wrong? Comment below and let us know. 

By the way…if you’re not on my mailing list. You really should be. I’ll show you how to do this whole connection thing. Signup right below!

Big brands want to be us.

“Yeah, right!” you say. But it’s true.

The bigger brands are, the longer it takes them to turn the ship. The longer it takes them to respond to the changing market and some of that is because they are usually the last to feel those changes.

Social media has done something that the world has never seen. It’s put the power of change and innovation in the consumers hands instead of big money and business. This is why the model of the industrial age is failing and having an insanely difficult time figuring out what to do.

But before I go into too much detail, let me give you the highlights, then we’ll get onto the show! In this episode I’ll discuss:

• 3 reasons why big business want to be small
• The example of Starbucks and how they “get it”
• Why we need to remain flexible
• What the future holds for those of us who have personal brands
• How consultants are the future of business

I hope that gives you a pretty good idea what we’ll be discussing. My plan to start doing this about once a month, depending on the response of it. If you have any feedback, feel free to email me or leave a comment. I’d be honored to address it at the end of the next show if it needs to be. Thanks!

View on iTunes | Can’t see player? | Download the MP3

Resources I mention:

Onward: How Starbucks Fought for it’s LIfe Without Losing it’s Soul (affiliate link)

Seth Godin – Linchpin

37 Signals – Rework