Mighty Big Impact

There is so much smart goodness in this article! And so much that I cover in my workshops, like:

"You’re far more likely to create brand advocates if you focus on truly connecting with your core audience rather than trying to appease the masses."

How Any Digital Business Can Explode Using Word of Mouth Marketing We live in a digital age. Each day we’re bombarded with an endless stream of online ads via social media, websites, search engines, videos, and so on. M

I absolutely believe that #2 & #3 have had significant impact on how I show up each day.

Do you regularly practice any of these?

3 Habits of Exceptionally Strong Women Leaders Comparing yourself to others is holding you back. Here are 3 ways to leave that old habit behind and get people to see your true strengths!

Doesn't this sound awesome: creativity right when you need it?
Believe it! #2 is my favorite, but I love #4 (doesn't have to be with a team). How about you?

4 Strategies to Spark On-Demand Creativity Don't wait for inspiration to strike. Leverage these management strategies to cultivate creativity on-demand.

Interesting findings:

"daily creativity increased positive affect and flourishing — but feeling better didn’t increase creativity. Regularity and strict routines turn out to stimulate creativity, rather than hinder it. But it also seems to have the added benefit of increasing your sense of flourishing and emotional satisfaction."

Want to Thrive? Be Creative Every Day – Thrive Global A new study finds that daily creativity helps people flourish.

It's so easy to get overwhelmed by the volume of tasks, projects and things to do each day. Especially when you have a small team.
You believe that there are things you just can't do. Right?
B.S. There is enormous power and potential in a small team with grit that is comfortable gettin' scrappy.
Here's how. Thanks Marketing Profs.

How Small Marketing Teams Can Achieve Big Content Wins Whether want to build a content strategy, create and distribute content, or measure content performance, small marketing teams of even one-person can achieve content marketing success. See how.

Whether you're a business owner, employee, manager, founder or vendor, how do you go beyond good, or even exceptional, to being indispensable?

Here's a few insanely simple, yet easy to forget ways. Imagine the power if you incorporated one or just two?

9 Ways to Be Indispensable That Never Appear on Performance Appraisals Many are solid. Some are outstanding. And a few--just a few--are indispensable. Here's how to know the difference.

Portland Folks: How well do you know your target customers?

If the answer isn't "intimately" then you might want to join my Mercy Corps NW seminar Wed 4/26: Deeply Defining Your Ideal Customer

SEMINAR: Deeply Defining Your Ideal Customer ⋆ Mercy Corps Northwest “To target everyone is to target no one” The foundation of your marketing strategy is built on knowing your customers. People are looking for authentic connection and businesses that appeal to their individual needs. Defining ...

Fun weekend project: Build your awesome club!

Awesome Club - Science of People Want to know how can you be more awesome? The answer might surprise you: Leverage the awesome of the people around you by creating your own Awesome Club.

By now, everyone is fully aware of the United Airlines "legging" incident, right? When a public perception crisis hits another brand, it's an opportunity for others to observe and learn.

The article shares a few of these lessons and I have a few more.

1. There are some parties you want to arrive late at or even avoid. When a topic could be controversial, extremely political or potentially sensitive topics, it's wise to take a breath before inserting your opinion. Think about your values, your audience, and the lack of context that comes with social media before responding.

2. Get the full story and check your facts. When United first responded, they didn't have the full scoop and their reply came off rather insensitive. Once again, better to be a little late than go in naked to the party.

3. Situations like this can be a great opportunity to demonstrate your values and beliefs, if done well. Look for ways to turn something potentially negative into a positive for your audience (and brand).

What if United replied with something like:

Members of our United Airlines family forgot they were traveling on a Family Pass today. As ambassadors of the brand, we show our pride in many ways, including how we show up on our flights. We'll get them to their destination after a quick change.

The United Airlines Leggings Controversy Is a Perfect Example of How Not to be Convincing Both sides gave a great demonstration in the wrong way to prove a point.

How do you come up with new ideas?

The old way of brainstorming (thankfully) is out, and there's a new approach that is part of the design thinking movement. Big companies like Google are innovating in massive ways through this approach.

Small companies are not only innovating, but growing in leaps and bounds through this approach.

And it's fairly simple:
1. Know your user/buyer/audience (I'd add, intimately)
2. Think big (Google says 10x)
3. Prototype (test, gather feedback, iterate)

What does your ideation process look like? I absolutely love facilitating this process, so if I can help you or your organization, let me know!

How To Brainstorm Like A Googler | Fast Company This is the deceptively simple, three-step process Google uses to come up with its most innovative ideas.

Interesting list of books entrepreneurs "should read". There's definitely some smart titles here, and some that raise my left eyebrow.

One tops my list. Think you know me? Guess which one is my favorite, most meaningful from this list and you'll get a free 60-min consult with me this month.

20 Life-Changing Books You Must Add to Your List for 2017 Every book on this list has the power to change your life.

If your brand is how people feel about you when you're not in the room, there's value in building a strong, consistent and clear brand image that people feel good about behind your back.

It's easy for brands of any size to slip up and lose some brand value but there are things you can do to protect yourself. All of these tips are smart, but #4 is what I want to talk about today.

At some point, you'll be invited to an opportunity to partner with a brand potentially bigger than yours. It will feel exciting to be recognized by someone "more popular" with a bigger audience. You will be eager to say yes!

Think of the exposure! The endorsement!

But, it's possible to do more damage than good if you choose partnerships and opportunities that don't align with your brand values and persona. We've all seen what happens when celebrities take themselves and their sponsor brands down with them.

Don't let that happen to you!

6 Branding Mistakes Undermining Your Company's Image Is your company guilty of any of these branding blunders?