As CreateWOW embarked on decorating our new office space, I sent out a tweet asking if someone new of a product or a solution to make an entire wall an erasable white board.  I did get some answers, but none that I would have been comfortable with.  Some required a VERY EXPENSIVE paint. Others suggested large sheets of melonite that I’d have to secure to the walls (landlord frowned on that idea).  So, eventually, I gave up on the idea.

It was hard at first, because I am such a visual person, I use an easel and HUGE note pads just to flesh out illustration ideas.  Imagine the space it takes to really flesh out a social media marketing campaign!

Well, yesterday, during a client planning session, I realized what my brain had been telling me for a few months now.  The dry erase wall is a good idea.

A Plan Is Worth 1,000 Words:

a plan is worth 1,000 words

In a matter of minutes, the clients and I flew through sheet after sheet of pad paper and pasted them to the wall.  The conversation was flowing so quickly that just keeping up with the ideas was a challenge. After we’d “Dumped” our wish list on the papers, we then, rearranged the pages and put the plan in systematic, chronological order.

PERFECT.

The clients left assured that the directives they assigned us were understood and the plan to achieve their goals was in place.  Smiles. Handshakes. Pats on the back. It all seemed so simple, but without the plan up on the wall, it was just words.

Try this approach next time you’re in a planning or strategy session with your clients or coworkers. It’s a little overwhelming for the “Non-visual” people in the room, but I guarantee when they see the path ahead of them, they’ll take the next step with you without asking another question.

My friends Mike Wagner and Jocelyn Wallace may have a thing-or-two to add to this post, yes?

Do you have other tips or techniques to help clients or coworkers visualize a plan?  Is it a whiteboard? Is it PowerPoint (God I hope not…

Let us know.  Or better yet…  show us…

Keep Cooking!
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef

Growth is a positive thing. I mean growth that produces great things:

• Business opportunities
• Professional credibility
• Community ties
• Industry stability
• Economical security

ALL good things, right?

YES!

So why not join the CreateWOW team and grow with us (me)?

If you have a desire to join a nimble, progressive marketing and communications company with a drive to change how companies use media, then I want to hear from you.

CreateWOWmarketing, LLC has brought on a handful of new clients that will require talent and support from:

• Public Relations Professionals
• Media Buyers and Managers
• Account and Marketing Managers
• Creatives and Multi-Channel Graphic Designers

And while I want to “Do It ALL,” I just can’t…

I’M not looking for just anyone. The people that are brought into the CreateWOW culture will need to be inspired by creativity and driven to create WOW for our clients using traditional and emerging marketing tactics.

These positions are to be considered “Internships” until the candidate has proven him / herself in the job.

I do pay my interns.

Don’t throw your resume at me and expect a call. Connect with me on a unique, engaging and relevant level to the position YOU hope to fill. And for God’s sake, be Truthful.

I want the team to reflect CreateWOW. I want the team to GROW CreateWOW.

So, there you have it. The proverbial ball is in your court.

Spread the word. Tweet. FaceBook it… LinkedIn it… GET IT?

And for ever and always…

KEEP COOKING!
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef

p: 515.257.MKTG
(515.257.6584)

Fx: 866.257.0961

e-mail:
Andrew@createWOWmarketing.com
thebrandchef@gmail.com

Another Web site:
http://www.thebrandchef.com

Feelin’ Social?
Twitter: @TheBrandChef
Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/in/AndrewBClark
FriendFeed: http://friendfeed.com/thebrandchef

This post was originally published Friday, April 8, 2011 at – http://createwowmarketing.com/are-you-prepared-to-create-your-own-wow/

Desire and a baseball bat… maybe a leather glove…  That would make me a major leaguer, wouldn’t it?  No? Okay, well, then give me some spiffy pin-striped pants and a jersey with the number “2” on it…  Now I’m just like Derek Jeter, right?

STOP IT!

Just because you have access to the “tools” of the professionals, doesn’t mean you have the knowledge, skill or fortitude to use them correctly or successfully. 
A baseball bat in the wrong hands is simply a deadly weapon.

Even a superstar like Jeter knows that picking up a bat does nothing for your game than make you dangerous - to yourself and those around you.  That’s why he depends on people like Kevin Long, the Yankees batting coach, to guide him through the process of discovering his perfect swing.

Just like Derek Jeter, SUCCESSFUL social media marketers have been working at their trade, honing their skills and creating a knowledge base.  They share ideas, tools and solutions with the other social media savvy that will help them score big, come game day.

If you’re looking to get into the social media marketing game, there are professionals out there that can coach you through the process of discovering your perfect social media swing.  Instead of strutting up to the plate ready to “swing for the fences” think about these five simple steps:

1. Get a Coach – Probably the most important tip. I’m sure Jeter intrinsically knows how to connect with a baseball, but do you think he has the time to look at his swing for small, virtually untraceable links to hitting better, farther, and more consistently?  A social media marketing coach will do much of the same thing – build on your brand’s strengths and tweak your weaknesses until you have an accurate, effective swing.

2. BE “In” The Game – Nary does a batter walk up to the plate looking for a home run every time (okay, maybe Manny Rameierez, but that’s another post altogether).  Maybe your team needs a ground-out sacrifice to advance your fastest runner to second base, and scoring position.  Your instincts as a marketer should tell you when to hit for the infield gap versus smacking it into center just to be caught.  Your Social media marketing coach will feed you the signals for the team’s best success.

3. Read The Scouting Reports – When Jeter walks into the locker room, he has at his hands the reports of the opposing pitcher’s games clear back to the stone age.  With that, he and his coach can evaluate their obstacles and the advantages they have in this game and plan accordingly for success.  A savvy social media marketing coach should have similar scouting information for your “at-bat.”  Is your market friendly to social media promotions?  Does your market want more consumer brand input? Research is key!

4. Treat Each At-Bat Uniquely – Sure, Jeter strikes out from time-to-time.  Does that mean the next time he walks up to the plate he’s obsessed about that last empty cut?  Yes, and no…   He thinks about what went wrong and he and Long make the necessary adjustments for the next inning.  Just as with baseball, each marketing tactic is set up to learn and progress to the next opportunity. If one event, or post, or tweet fails to garner the results you expect, look at it carefully and make the adjustments necessary for future success.

5. Remember, The Season Is Long - Jeter and Long know, from experience, that it takes 162 games (regular season only) per season to get to the World Series.  If they walked into opening season expecting to hit .750 and started sizing their thumb (’cause every other finger is covered) for another World Series ring, they’d be laughed out of the league.  Just the same, if you expect to become a social media marketing home-run hitter tomorrow…  well, can you hear the laughter? Work on the knowledge, technique, targeting, content, branding, focus, fortitude, execution…  get it?

Now Go PLAY BALL!

Keep Cooking (ideas that score)!
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef

Disclaimer:  I am in no way associated with the New York Yankees nor have I been compensated for this post.  As a matter of fact, I write this post in complete frustration after watching the Yankees sweep my Boston Red Sox in 3.  But from a branding and statistical success standpoint, Derek Jeter and Kevin Long make superb examples.