GOOGLE YOURSELF

Do just that.

What do you see?

Googling yourself will help determine how visible you are -- you can have no brand if no one knows about it, and if at all, what the world knows you for.

It can go one of three ways.

One, that Google doesn't know you. You have no online presence. You have no email address, no Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram account. How can that be? Maybe you are retired and in the village -- you retired in the 1990s.

Two, you have an online presence alright but its not really in your control. Its often other people writing about you, the press? Which is rarely good. You know what they say "Nothing makes for good news like bad news" If someone is writing your story, filling your online vacuum it is rarely good or accurate.

And finally you not only have an online  presence but its you dictating the narrative generally. That's where we should all aim to be.

This is important for several reasons but not least of all that the first impressions of you online are created by yourself, everything else can only be built off your own narrative of yourself.

That is one of the reasons famous people publish memoirs. Everybody is free to write about them but they will have to start with your story.

Maybe legacy is less of a concern for you right now. 

Think of your online presence as enabling tool for recruiters looking for prospective employees or businesses looking for consultants or to pattern with someone. Think of it as making their work easier, and who doesn't want to do less work?

Today anyone who is anyone goes on line to get a sense of people they meet, people they may want to work with  or people they want to work for.

Personal branding can not be left to chance. Your online profile has to be a case of putting your best foot forward.

Seeing as most of us are not of interest to the mass media we advise clients to get blogs. Facebook doesn't quite work. 

In a blog you can have articles, audio or video of yourself speaking on the subject of your expertise and totally under your control without going through the filter of the newsroom.

And once you have you bog, essentially the raw material, you need to drive traffic towards it and push its ranking up your google page, where every one will see it first time.

A story for another day.

CELEBS ENDORSING MY PRODUCT? WHY NOT?

When golfer Tiger Woods sunk his last putt to win The Masters at the Augusta National Golf Club earlier this month it was his first major in a decade.

A series of unfortunate events -- numerous back surgeries and the spectacular collapse of his marriage, threw his game off and it was feared he would not live up to his potential of overhauling legend Jack Nickalus' record 18 major tournament victories. The Masters win brought Woods' tally to 15.

While the golfing world sighed with relief -- Woods is a joy to watch and brings a certain electricity to the events he participates in, an underlying subplot was playing out, about how sports equipment company Nike stayed with Woods on their roster product endorsements when most of his major sponsors  took the hills when he was in trouble.

Experts were unanimous that Nike, which has a reputation for signing on racy characters didn't suffer too much for being associated with Woods' travails but more clean cut brands like you would find in the financial or children's sectors may have suffered if they stayed with the star.

Celebrity endorsements of products are intended to gain the product greater awareness and serve as positive association for what brand the celebrity endorses. If the brands vision and values are aligned to that those of the star it can work to the mutual benefit of both parties --- helping the brand to sell more and making the endorser fabulously rich.

In Uganda this has not caught on much. Probably a function of marketing departments being a bit green about milking the potential benefits of such tool in their marketing strategy toolbox.

Endorsements contracts if crafted well benefit from the fact that people enjoy stories about other people, because it allows them to relate or even aspire to their heroes. This emotional connection can ensure untold mileage for the product owner, give them much more bang for their buck.

BOOK REVIEW: THE ANATOMY OF BUZZ: CREATING WORD OF MOUTH MARKETING

So what communication goes viral and what doesn't?

 "The anatomy of buzz" by Emanuel Rosen was first published in 2000 long before social media, it was a book ahead of it's time and clearly for this time.

Word of mouth marketing which has been recognised as a powerful marketing tool, has really come into it's own with social media.

Where individuals have becoming influencers, lugging around huge followings and hawking these to the highest bidder.

In this context the book assumes added relevance as Rosen describes how powerful networks can be built, maintained and leveraged to shift goods and services.

Overlaying his startegies on to social media can turn a so-so marketer into a Titan --- not overnight, but with diligence and persistence, soon enough.

SOME CHOICE QUOTES

"The idea that a critical part of marketing is word of mouth and validation from important personal relationships is absolutely key, and most marketers ignore it."

"Being a network hub is not

 about having lots of friends. 

It's also about who 

these friends

 have been

 connected to."

"Buzz travels most smoothly through the networks

 built on trust."

"To create buzz about a product you 

need to reach people where

they hang out."

"For buzz to succeed, you need two things: a contagious product -- 
one that has some inherent value that makes people talk -- 
and someone
 behind the scenes 
who accelerates 
natural contagion."

"There is a misconception that

 if a dealership gives good service it will automatically get good word of mouth. 

What we have found is that the dealerships that make a conscious effort to promote word of mouth

 are the ones that are most successful in getting word of mouth."

COMMUNICATING THE CRANE WILL BE KEY

Uganda Airlines first two planes landed at Entebbe Airport on Tuesday to much pomp and ceremony.

The resumption of activity after an 18 year hiatus has come amidst much criticism. Detractors believe the huge outlay needed to get the airline to commercial viability is money that wold be better spent revamping our social services, building our road network or beefing up security. Especially since, they argue, we do not lack for airlines flying into and out of Uganda -- 19 at last count.

The promoters did not exactly cover themselves in glory, failing spectacularly to counter their detractors, only managing that an airline is as tragic piece of infrastructure.

And that is going to be Uganda Airlines' main challenge going forward, the development  and execution of a robust communication strategy. Hiding their head in the sand is no longer an option.

A communication  strategy that help build the brand, carrying the momentum from all the good will witnessed when the Bombadier CRJ 900 jets touched down well into the future, past the hard years ahead. They need to do more with cultivating the media.

As pointed out in an earlier blog a branding strategy begins with creating awareness, which should not be a problem for the new Uganda Airlines, whose beginning have bee covered in controversy and culminated in a champagne popping receiving of the planes at Entebbe Airport.

They will need to work on building favourable associations around the plane. In the aviation industry reliability, convenience and safety are key.

Related to the above they have to work their socks of to give the clients a better than good experience, because clients who will be flying them know what good service is and will give them little benefit of doubt on this score.

And if they can ace all these loyalty, and hence long term viability, will be a given .

This communication strategy should anchor an equally formidable marketing strategy to help sell the tickets that will keep those birds aflight.

Like in any brand building exercise this branding strategy will have to be deliberate, systematic and consistent.

IS THE MEDIA YOUR ENEMY? THEN YOU NEED TO KEEP IT CLOSE

I roll my eyes every time someone says he or his company avoids the media.

In their mind the media is good for nothing except misrepresenting, misquoting and generally making a bad situation worse. Their response to this reality --- their reality, is to avoid the media like the plague.

They have worked themselves up to perceive the media as their enemy. If that is true -- to them, then wouldn't it be wiser to follow the old say that counsels, "Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer"?

The best way to overcome fear of anything is to gain more knowledge about it. Where there is ignorance there is fear. If you think about if you know something intimately you cant fear it. You may not like it but you wouldn't fear it.

What baffles people about the media is that they don't understand what makes them tick. If they knew that, their perception of the media would change immeasurably.

So here goes.

The media is driven by two things ---deadlines and the news worthiness of a subject or event. That is simplifying it to its barest essentials.



THE DEADLINE


Every media house has a deadline. there are series of deadlines through the news cycle -- assigning deadlines, editing deadlines, printing deadlines. All these build up to the final deadline which is in the case of the print media, when the publication hits the street; in the case of broadcast media when the news item goes on air and in more recently in the digital media when it is put out on the internet.

In a media house or operation worth its salt this final deadline is what rules their lives. in the print media getting to market after the competition can cost thousands of copies in lost sales. In the broadcast media gaining a reputation as the one with the news everyone wants to hear at the top of the hour will mean the difference between listeners turning the dial to your station or in the case of TV reaching for the remote to switch to your channel.

Media make their money by being able to attract audiences. no audiences no money and vice versa.

So if one wants to leverage the media to deliver their message they need to pay attention to deadlines, which are as diverse as the media you are dealing with.

If you are dealing with the daily papers who have to be around the country by the crack of dawn the next day, it does not help you to have a news event after 3 pm if you want the news to run he next day.

The kind of events that take place in the late afternoon and make the papers the next day are often earth shattering or even better will add extra copies to sales.



NEWS WORTHINESS


In journalism school they tell you that newsworthiness of an event will depend on several things including impact, relevance, proximity, prominence, conflict, timeliness to which you can also add drama and the unusual.

But before the media house reaches for those lofty heights, what determines what is news or not depends on three fundamentals;

1.  The media house's ownership

In the old days rich men owned newspapers as a tool of influence, to promote their own agendas, newspapers would often taken on their owner's character and mirror his biases. So in western economies you will find papers that support the monied classes or labour. Little has changed today.

So it makes little sense to have a news event or item you need pushed that is contrary to owners' world view. If for instance you have a capitalist news event it would be a waste of your time trying to pitch to the labour-leaning press and vice versa.

2.  The target market

The media are a business and as such have identified a target market to which they will target their news.

So if you are launching a sugar loaded soft drink it would be shooting yourself in the foot trying to slide it into a pro-health publication or media house. Or if you are launching a meat product trying to get it into a vegetarian biased publication.


3.  The editorial tradition.

Often unwritten rules but such things as endevouring to be as accurate as person, to give people the right of reply, to desist or insist on the sensational angle.

In inviting the sensational press for your press conference on company results, you should not be surprised if they make a mountain over a mole hill just to maintain their sensational reputation.

The point is the media is not as opaque as many people think, even communication officers who should know better.

If you understand your intended media target's deadline priorities and how it determines what is news it will make if so much easier to leverage the media for your needs , rather than fill you with pissing-in-your-pants dread.

THE POWER AT THE INTERSECTION

Many years ago I visited the spokesperson of top financial institution in The City. This man, let's call him John, was very clear about the target market and the best media to get to them.

He said if he had a piece of information to put out he would bend over backwards to ensure the wire services -- Reuters, Dow Jones, Bloomberg and with the m the Financial Times understand his message and get it absolutely right. If he achieved that then for all practical purposes his work was done.

As bonus he would put out his message to the quality broadsheets, but wouldn't feel too bad if they misplaced a comma or question mark.

As for the tabloids, if they never heard about it he would not lose sleep and if they got it wrong anyway, it would be okay because his target market did not go to them for financial news.

You may wish that you could reach all your target market, but that is practically impossible.  

The next best hing is to find those people/institutions in your target market who act as the disseminators of information. They are normally located at the intersection or center of many in your  market, are credible, believed by your target market.

In an earlier blog about Jesus as a master communicator we alluded to this in his choice of disciples. The potency of his message is indisputable but his effectiveness in getting the message out, is still felt 2000 years down the road.

And that is why the media is powerful medium for sending out messages. The media by design is a powerful node in a country or community's communication network. It can be leveraged to get your message out to your preferred audience.

Employing it will take an understanding of how it works and who its target audience is.

You can try banging on every one of the doors of your target market, to get your message across, but it is much more efficient to find those nodes of influence, develop relationships and that you work with with to reach the larger group.

THE MESSAGE OF EASTER... SORT OF?

On Easter Sunday Jesus rose from the dead, launching a religion, Christianity, that spread his message of love to the four corners of the earth and changed the world forever.

It is doubtful that two thousand odd years later we would still celebrate Jesus' life and ressurection had he not been centered in his role as the son of God, grounded in his faith and to round it off a master communicator.

For argument's sake in our brand personality matrix Jesus is firmly in the top right hand quadrant, the thought leader.

Beyond his Christian message we would do well to learn from his methods as a communicator to aid our own causes.

1. He knew his subject

Jesus knowledge of the scripture was evident at an early age. As precocious boy he was once feared lost but found engaged in deep conversation with the Jewish leaders in the temple in Jerusalem.

As a young adult he went away into the desert to deepen his faith before emerging 40 days later to announce his mission.

Even for the son of God it took time to prepare for his mission. There are no shortcuts. To ascend to thought leadership you need an education and experience all of which take time.

2. He tapped into powerful networks

Since Judaism the established religion became quickly hostile to him and his message, Jesus set up on tapping into other powerful networks.

He recruited among the fishing -- seven of his disciples were fishermen, trading and even tax collecting communities. These were all men respected in their respective fields who could be used to relay the message.

From this core he recruited others who he sent out into the world to preach the message.

Jesus was an outstanding character in his own right drawing huge crowds wherever he went but he knew that for his message to gain traction he needed others to help him spread the word.

One of the most pwoerful communication tools is word of mouth, especially from some who you respect.

In the modern world this would mean tapping into established media to build your personal brand.

3. He employed third party endorsements

After performing miracles he often told the healed to go out and tell what God had done for them.

The power of third party endorsements can not be understated. Your brand will get much more traction from others talking well of you and your work than going out and blowing your own trumpet.

We can mine Jesus' story for many more communication lessons but these three can serve as the bedrock of spreading your own message, hopefully to the four corners of the earth --- and why not?

PR BUILDS BRANDS, ADVERTISING DEFENDS THEM

My friend who wants to launch a new product is asking about advertising costs, which is what many of us do, but is it correct or even effective?

In their seminal book "The fall of advertising and the rise of PR" the authors are emphatic that PR (communications) build brands through use of media and third party endorsements.

The book published almost 20 years ago also speaks of the rise of personal branding, "If you want to get ahead in the corporation today, you need to be personally visible. How are you going to do that? By launching and advertising program? Obviously not."

In an earlier Blog this point was made using the personal branding matrix and what components of a brand are.

An investment in communicating your value is what will make you more visibile, build your brand.

WHAT'S ALL THIS BRANDING BUSINESS?

That was the irritated question of one of  our potential clients.

In his mind he was doing just fine in his chosen line of work and also he was brought up to believe that we will be known by our works, no need to brag about it.

By the way his brand, by accident, is very strong; he is well known for what he does, his intelligence is unquestionable and the quality of his work is impeccable. By doing good work consistently, he has benefited from word of mouth referrals so yes, why did he have to invest more in his brand.

Brand is just a fancy name for reputation, personal branding is ensuring that your reputation (hopefully a good one) precedes you.

To build as a starting point building a brand needs an understanding of its component parts.

Awareness, you can't have a brand if no one knows about it. As a starting point in building a brand you have to get the news out there.

Secondly you want to build favourable associations around your brand. My man up there is known for quality work, his brand stands for quality. The brand is then enhanced by the experience people have with it, needless to say you want this to be positive. And assuming you have the last three pinned down you can expect greater loyalty to your brand -- until you take your eyes off the ball.


That is the danger of a brand built by accident. When something bad happens you will not know what to do when you poke your head under the hood to fix the problem.

THE MAGIC KEY .... YOUR PERSONAL BRAND

My friend, lets call him John, has had a long and illustrious career.

He went to some of the best schools in our town and at university studied business administration. He did his time at the till at a big bank, put his career on hold to get a masters in corporate finance.

John returned to Uganda. Thankfully his old employer had a place for him and he has been with him ever since. He is respected in his industry he is fast approaching retirement. 

John has been prudent with his money. With what he has stoked away in shares, government paper his provident fund and his savings with NSSF, it is not likely that he will retreat to a life of destitution.

His worry is that he will have time weighing heavily on his hands, with nothing to do. The thought has crossed his mind of setting up a consultancy, but the rough and tumble of setting up a new business does not appeal to him.

He knows he has what it takes. On free evenings he has helped friends and relatives set up their own businesses, acquaintances restructure their businesses and even advised on "mergers and acquisitions" of the odd SME here and there. For most of the work he allowed his "Clients" to pay him whats fair with several assignments being done pro bono so he had no doubt in his mind about the value he could still provide.

The challenge is not that he is not competent, that he does not have value to offer as a consultant or there is no market for his services once he has left the bank.

John's dilemma is a common one.

The personal brand matrix above locates all of us in one of those four quadrants which differentiates us by a combination of the level of our competence and our visibility as competent or not in the field of our choosing.

In the lower right hand quadrant are the fakes, those with high visibility but low competence. They walk among us and are the reason the saying "Empty tins make most noise" was created.

In the lower left hand corner are those who have low visibility and low competence. Not  bad place to be. These are often young, starting out in their career with no experience and some education. Untested and unbattered by life's ups and downs.

We call them raw material, they can be molded into very useful members of our society. This they will do by putting in the time to educate themselves, gain experience and be in a state of continuous learning about themselves and their environment in order to become experts.

Experts abound. Anyone coming to the close of their careers -- like John, who has been consistent and dedicated in his chosen field of work qualifies as an expert. By the close of one's career ideally one should be at the highest point on the competence scale.

The fourth and final quadrant are the Thought leaders. These are the ones who are not only competent but by design or accident, their value is recognised within their own industry and beyond.

These are those among us who make the most money -- they do not seat interviews, they are head hunted; their skills as consultants are in demand; they work with whom they want, where they want and when they want.

That's where we should all aspire to be, whether we are in corporate Uganda or not.

"To make the transition from the Expert to the Thought leader quadrant is dependent on what communications you put out or go about you. We can consciously manage this if we are systematic, deliberate and consistent in employing the media -- traditional and new....