Do you know anyone that you’d call a “Go-Getter?” Yeah, that guy/gal that always seems to be working on getting results at virtually any cost?  Sure, I know ‘em quite well. I know, because I have always been one… A “do-er,” as one employer labeled me.  I wore it like a badge of honor, holding my head high as if I’d been knighted by the Queen.  That’s all I knew.  That’s how I defined my work days and eventually, my personal brand.  But it always seemed to take so much effort.  So much time.  And “getting” rarely received equal return, let alone a satisfactory profit.

If you’re wondering why that work seems so much like…  well…  WORK, maybe those efforts are being focused too much on the end result and not the path that gets you there.

There IS a path to success, and the authors of The Go-Giver, Bob Burg and John David Mann, see it much differently than I or most other Go-Getters do…  did…

Burg and Mann made me ask five simple questions:

1. How do I add value every day?
2. How do I serve those around me?
3. Do I place others’ interests as a priority – even to my own?
4. Do I relate to others genuinely?
5. Do I expect the same in return?

The story of The Go-Giver follows one of these “Go-Getters” on a journey of realization that giving and sharing can be MUCH more profitable than he previously expected.

I have been called a Go-Getter.  I don’t think I want to be called that any longer…

********

On that note, this week is the Meals from the Heartland packaging event in central Iowa.

Starting this Thursday, September 3rd and going through the 7th, church organizers, nursing homes, schools, businesses, housewives, children, and anyone else that you can think of will merge on downtown Des Moines, Iowa; bringing hearts, hands, and the passion for helping others to Hy-Vee Hall to package meals for those around the world less fortunate than us.

Meals from the Heartland is a non-profit organization that annually coordinates and administers the biggest food packaging and fundraising event in the United States. For five days, volunteers of all ages, races, and religious beliefs gather, side by side, and scoop, drop, pour, and seal millions of meals for distribution to starving communities around the world.

In 2008, Meals from the Heartland packaged over 4,000,000 meals.  This year, by the looks of the amazing influx of volunteers and in-kind donations, they’ll be well on their way to matching and surpassing that amazing number.

Your support would be appreciated. You can (for a VERY short time) still Volunteer to package.  Or a donation to help buy the supplies is always a good way to show your support.

To Volunteer, please go to this link.

To Donate, please go to this link. (Only $25 funds over 100 meals!)

With that, go be a Go-Giver.  Make your path to success rewarding for you and everyone around you!

Keep Cooking (for everyone around you)!
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef

I just ordered Hugh MacLeod’s Ignore Evereybody: And 39 Other Keys To Creativity – simply because of the farcical treatment the folks over at Brand Autopsy gave it.

I LOVE IT!

More-so, I love the segment that they chose to feature.  The Sex and Cash Theory – something I think anyone that considers themselves as “Creative” can identify with (in any timbre).  (feed readers and Facebookers, click here to see the video – it’s a RIOT!)

After you stop laughing, think about YOUR Sex and Cash paradigm.  How much of the work you do is simply to “pay the bills,” and how much is “sexy?”

If you’re like me, your career is probably leaning a tad bit to the “pay the bills” side.  Okay, it sleeps, eats, and craps on the “cash” side with a little window to the “sexy” side… sigh. (Really, boss, if you’re reading this, I love my job.)

What do you think it would take to push your career a little closer to the “sexy” side?  One more post?  One less spreadsheet?  Another hour with the iPod on 10?  One more doughnut before that board meeting?

Just a little food for thought.

Keep Cooking (sexy creative)!
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef

Explain to your parents the fascination you have with social media.  Better yet, explain the advantages of social media MARKETING to a company CEO, CFO, CMO or any number of other CxO’s.  They’ll stare at you like some kind of snake oil salesman.

Better yet, give them the word “Socialnomics™,“  and just watch their eyes roll into the back of their heads.

What is Socialnomics™?  It’s the economy stupid (thank you Mr. Carville).

I found this POWERFUL video by Erik Qualman (@equalman) over at my blogger-buddy, Chris Wilson’s (@freshpeel) blog.

If you haven’t made the connection between social media (teens on MySpace and Facebook) and Social Media Marketing (companies building brand comminities using these platforms), then you MUST watch this video.

(Feed readers and facebookers, click here to see the video…  it’s amazing!)

I wish I’d had the foresight to create and trademark the word “Socialnomics™,”  but kudos to Erik for being the pioneer.  And thanks to Chris for posting it.

Do you get it now?  Are you ready for Socialnomics™? (You better be.)

Keep Cooking!
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef

What is your brand doing to maintain relevance to its audience?  If your / your company’s brand is dependent on continued exposure in a specific market, what are the steps you’re taking to maintain that contact and staying “top-of-mind?”

Back in “the day” it was a combination of marketing, advertising, public relations and good ol’ fortitude and gumption.  But today, that model has been twisted a bit.

The average consumer doesn’t have a lot of faith in “traditional” advertising (check out this Nielsen study).  Even online advertising has fallen to the wayside as far as credibility or trust is concerned.  And social media has pulled attention from traditional outlets with a force that was completely underestimated just two years ago.  Today, it’s more about connections, referrals, networking (online and off-line), and building credibility and trust through your brand relationships.

So, how do you maintain the “top-of-mind” awareness that your brand so desperately needs to survive?

Here are seven simple steps to staying socially top-of-mind:

1. Always Learn – Explore the latest trends and study the practitioners within your market.  Use that information to stay mentally sharp and abreast of how changes in your industry will be affecting you / your company and your customers.

2. Educate & Share – Pass what you’ve learned on to those that need it.  Whether it’s a small tip on social media techniques (re-tweet and comment often), or an article on market trends that would be relevant to a client; if you become a resource for knowledge, you’ll position yourself/company as a trusted leader in the marketplace.  And eventually they will come to you for more.

3. Engage – This is where the first two points come in handy.  The marketing world has turned into a giant conversation.  If you’re busy telling and not talking, you’ll quickly be shut out of the discussion.  “Engaging” is one of the four base criteria for TRUE Branding, and in this social media marketing world, Engagement is more necessary that ever.

4. Set Goals – This sounds like an obvious point, but I’ve seen too may stand at the edge of the chasm yelling and yelling just to hear the whisper of their own echo floating back at them.  Set a goal, a target with specific results in mind.  You can’t just set out telling your story unless you have a plot line to follow and a great ending for the audience to anticipate.

5. Build Measurable Tactics – Every goal you have will require tactics to execute.  To know the success or failure of those tactics, you need a mechanism for measuring.  Whether that’s web site traffic, office calls, client leads, or bodies through the showroom door; make sure you measure.

6. Compare, Refine  & Redo – With measurable results, you’ll better be able to find flaws in trend predictions.  You’ll have the ability to compare the results of one campaign to another.  If you’ve built success with one tactic, take that approach and modify it’s properties to suit another less-successful one and try it again.  When you’re reaching the right people and building a conversation with truly measured intentions, you’ll discover amazing results.

7. Keep Pushing – While trends are showing that social media and other tools are becoming bigger influences on many markets over traditional marketing channels (advertising, radio, print, TV, etc.); make sure that your market is truly being affected by the change.  If you pull your efforts from proven channels, your market could lose contact with your brand message. Then how top-of-mind would you be?

There are many, many more, but if you keep in mind these basic tips, you’ll be well on your way to maintaining great brand awareness.

Please…  Tell us what YOU do to to maintain top-of-mind awareness for your brand.  Is it community networking, cause marketing, something else?  We’d LOVE to hear from you.

Keep Cooking!
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef

You don’t have the option for dialogue.  You don’t have the time for ad copy.  You need to get people to understand your brand and the concept behind it in the blink of an eye…  You need to tell a story that is so unique and dramatic that words alone just won’t work.

What do you do? Hire a photographer (and a creative production team to tell the brand’s story).

Brands, especially media-driven brands need to be visual.  Movie posters and the promotional collateral that comes out to create pre-buzz about the show MUST dynamic.  They MUST, in a split-second, tell you the brand story.

The new season of Mad Men starts tomorrow night.  I’ve never seen more than 10 minutes of the shows from previous seasons, but with the passion and excitement I’ve seen / experienced around the coming of the third season, you can rest assured that I will be camped out on the couch with my beverage-of-choice at 10:00pm. But in my fanboy-to-be research for season three, I came across a pretty cool ‘making of’ video for this year’s promotional poster.
(feed readers and Facebookers, click here to see the video)

Visual Branding Gold!

It’s the perfect marriage.  Branding, story-telling, and creating excitement for the brand with one, simple (so-to-speak) image.

Don Draper would be proud.

I hope you join me, AMC and Mr. Draper Sunday night for what looks to be a pretty freakin’ cool season premere!

Keep Cooking!
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef