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Slide Presentations Like a Pro: Intro

December 12, 2011 in Presenting | No comments

As creative professionals, we are required to be persuasive. Not only do we have to persuade our existing clients to accept our brilliant ideas, but we have to persuade potential clients to hire us. Presenting with slides, using PowerPoint or Keynote, can be an incredibly powerful way to make an emotional connection with current or potential clients. Therefore, this is a skill that all creative professionals should possess. But very few of us have received any training in how to create a persuasive slide presentation. For my next several blog posts, I will share my expertise as a professional speaker and graphic designer to provide you with simple, timeless tips to help you develop, design, and deliver slide presentations like a pro.

Why Should You Develop this Skill?
To be perceived as a leader, you must be able to present your ideas clearly and persuasively. There is a direct link between leadership and presentation skills. In fact, Toastmasters International, the worldwide organization previously known for developing public speaking skills, has just rebranded with the tagline “Where Leaders Are Made.” Having the ability to present well will gain you the respect of your bosses, clients and peers. Outside your firm, this skill will enable you to present at industry conferences and raise your value to firms looking to recruit you.

The Problem
Most PowerPoint presentations are dreadful. You’ve probably heard the term “Death by PowerPoint” or perhaps you’ve read “Really Bad PowerPoint” by Seth Godin. Powerpoint is almost universally hated because most presenters develop, design and deliver slides that do not engage their audience. I’m sure you’ve suffered through a presenter turning his back on the audience to read 15 bullet points. Don’t blame the presenter, blame his education. With plenty of classes in Literature, English, and Writing, you were well educated in verbal communication. Unless you attended art or design school, you didn’t receive an education in visual communication. Yet PowerPoint forces people communicate visually. So, what do presenters do? They revert to what they know (verbal communication) by placing a bunch of bullet points on a slide. This is the quickest way to lose the attention of your audience.

A Great Presentation is a 3 Legged Stool
The 3 legs to your presentation are Development, Design and Delivery. Remove one of these legs and your presentation will end up on its rear! You’ll want to begin with the development of your content. Consider why you are making this presentation, who is the audience, and what do you want them to do. Start to outline your main points and gather evidence, stories and imagery to support those points. Next, you’ll want to design simple, clear slides that support you and your message. I recommend including 1 message per slide. Finally, you’ll need to practice your delivery so that you are confident in front of your audience. Remember that you are the star, not the slides. If the slides can live on their own, then cancel the presentation and send the audience a PDF. I will go into each of these 3 legs of a presentation in greater detail in future posts.

What Do You Think?
Do you have a favorite TED Talk that effectively uses slides?
Do you have a PowerPoint horror story?
What tips can you share that have been helpful to you for creating a slideshow?

If you want to experience the principles mentioned in this post in action, I recommend you attend this 2-hour seminar:

Change the World Slide by Slide: How To Design & Deliver Professional Slide Presentations
When: Friday, January 13, 2012, 10am–12noon
Where: Chevys Fresh Mex, 2730 Via De La Valle, Del Mar, CA 92014
Cost: $49 Pre-Register, $69 At Door
Register Now: slidebyslide.eventbrite.com

Storytelling is Good For Business

September 20, 2011 in Story | No comments

I love this infographic designed by Fathom Business Events to communicate how and why storytelling is a great brand building strategy. If you like this graphic, you might enjoy viewing my TEDx AFC speech titled The Power of Story.

How To Attend a Conference

June 1, 2011 in Event Marketing, Marketing | No comments

Do you enjoy attending conferences as much as I do? Meeting new people, exposure to new ideas and idealism are all infectious. But a week after the conference is over, what really sticks with you? Is your investment of time and money worthwhile? Here are 8 tips for creative professionals to get the most out of attending a conference.

1. Choose The Right Conference
It’s tempting to only attend conferences where your tribe gathers (fellow designers, architects, writers, etc.). This can be good for inspiration but also choose conferences where potential clients gather. Ask your current clients, in your targeted industry, which conferences they attend. Then consider who the speakers and attendees will be. I’ve found that regional conferences offers more intimacy and a higher concentration of potential clients than national conferences.

2. Don’t Just Attend
A great way to build brand awareness is to be visible at a conference. The best way to do this is get on the agenda as a presenter. Start with being a panelist in a breakout, then a sole presenter. Move your way up the food chain to be a panelist or keynote speaker in a general session. Conferences typically put out a request for presenters at least 6 months prior to the event. Another great way to build visibility at a conference is to be a sponsor (but only if this allows for personal introductions to VIP organizers or attendees). Or, Volunteer to help organize the conference in a way that allows you to demonstrate your talents or to develop a new skill. In short, do something to make you feel more connected to the conference.

3. Pre-Conference Networking
Conferences always announce speakers before the event as a marketing tool. Determine which speakers you would like to meet and start following them on Twitter or subscribe to their newsletter. Help to promote their session at the conference by tweeting something like “I’m excited to hear @davidlecours at the @aiga_y16.” Genuine flattery will make you more memorable when you actually meet the speaker at the conference. The previous tweet also helps to promote the conference itself which might gain you an extra drink ticket from your new friend, the conference organizer. Conferences will often pre-announce attendees. This is a great opportunity to reach out to those you’d like to meet. Pre-arrange meeting for a meal, or for coffee during a break, because nobody likes being that lonely guy standing around trying to look occupied.

4. Planning, Goals, and Flexibility
Once the conference starts, it’s easy to simply follow the herd. But you need to be selfish to make sure your needs are met. Get clear on why you are attending a conference before you register. This can be your purpose. Then set some goals that will support that purpose. For example, you may want to meet 5 new client prospects, gain 3 new blog ideas, or find 2 potential teaming partners. Look through the conference agenda to make a tentative schedule for the sessions and breakouts you prefer to attend. Then be flexible enough to adapt when your Design Hero asks you to lunch because you pre-conference tweeted about her presentation.

5. Capture Content Digitally
I am migrating from taking handwritten notes in a notebook to using a laptop, and eventually a tablet. My handwriting can be illegible and I often use my notes as content for this blog so going digital is more efficient. By capturing your notes digitally, you eliminate the intermediary step of having to transcribe your notes. This increases the shelf life of that content. For visuals, use your smart phone or digital camera to capture key slides of a presentation. As long as you aren’t using the content commercially, digital video or audio capture is another great way to make sure you don’t miss a word.

6. Share What You Learned
It’s been said that you don’t really know a subject until you teach it to someone else. A great way to digest the knowledge you consumed at the conference, is to share it with others. Those that weren’t able to attend the conference will appreciate this. Those that did attend will appreciate a review, and also hearing about alternate breakout sessions that they were not able to attend. One way to share is to live tweet those nuggets of wisdom your followers would appreciate. Or, share a blog post about individual sessions or highlights of the entire conference.

7. Meeting New People
A big motivation for me to attend conferences is to meet new people. But, as an introvert, this can be challenging. Introducing oneself is awkward for most people. An effective icebreaker is to ask “what did you think of the previous speaker/session?” or “what’s the best thing you’ve heard at this conference?” There is no doubt that you’ll be asked “what do you do?” or “where do you work?” Have a self introduction that is intriguing enough that people will ask follow-on questions. A final tip is to find people you don’t know to share a meal. If they are at the conference, you already have one thing in common. One of my best friends today is someone that I met at lunch at a conference over five years ago.

8. Absorb As Much As Possible
Conferences can be physically, mentally and emotionally tiring. Sleep on the plane or when you get home. Seize every opportunity that the conference offers to get a full return on your investment. Some of the best conversations and connections get made around the periphery of a conference. I’m still kicking myself for not joining a group going out after SMPS The Wave. I missed out on a live mermaid swimming in a giant tank. It even inspired Josh Miles to write a great post How a Mermaid Got Me Talking About a Brand.

I hope these tips are useful for you to get the most out of a conference. What have I missed? What are some strategies you use when attending a conference?

How To Give The King’s Speech

March 3, 2011 in Presenting, Public Speaking | 1 comment

If you haven’t seen the Oscar winning Best Picture The King’s Speech, make it a priority. Here’s my plot summary: Prince Albert, known as “Bertie,” reluctantly ascends to the throne of Great Britain to become King George VI. Bertie’s speech therapist, Lionel Logue, helps the monarch overcome chronic stuttering to deliver a speech that changed the world.

This film offers so many great lessons but I will focus on those that will make you a better presenter.

Embrace The New Communication Medium
About living in a new era of global radio, Bertie states, “a king can no longer get by in life solely by looking good in a regal uniform and knowing how to battle while riding a horse.” The equivalent is true for the modern Creative Professional. We can’t get by with simply a nice headshot and bio on our website. Prospective clients want to know how we think and what we believe. Public Speaking and Web Video are both great ways to demonstrate this.

A Great Presenter is a Great Leader
The King must capture the confidence of the British people if they are to rally against Nazi Germany. The king’s speech, thus the title of the film, is what inspires the nation to enter World War II. Being a great presenter communicates that you are to be trusted and that you are great at what you do. In an meeting, prospective clients judge your technical ability based on what’s in front of them, which are your presentation skills.

Ask for Help
You may not be a presentation expert, but you can hire one. A coach can provide objective feedback, help you develop content and provide accountability for you to practice delivery. Whether you are an athlete, an executive, or the King of England, nobody achieves greatness without guidance.

Like Lionel Logue, LecoursDesign now offers executive coaching and group training for presentations and speaking. This complements our ability to design stunning slide decks. From verbal to visual, we’ve got you covered.

Presenting is a Learned Habit
There is a common misconception that great speakers and presenters are born, not made. The arc of improvement that Bertie demonstrates throughout the film exemplifies that Presenting is a learned habit. You can learn to be great. Either hire a private coach or attend a local Toastmasters meeting to improve your skills.

You Have a Voice
At a pivotal point in the movie, Lionel Logue asks a frustrated Bertie “why should I waste my time listening to you?” Bertie screams back, “Because I have a voice!” We all have a unique voice—a distinct point of view that only we can own. The challenge is to develop the confidence to communicate our voice with such enthusiasm that our clients believe that our voice/vision will solve their problem.

Distract Your Fear
In Bertie’s first coaching session, Lionel uses music to distract Bertie from how he sounds which gets him to focus on his story. Bertie is passionate about his story and you are passionate about yours. As Lady Bird Johnson said, “Become so wrapped up in something that you forget to be afraid.” It’s ok to be nervous or scared when you present. Harness that energy as passion for your subject and it will infect your audience (in a good way).

Use Technology to Help You Improve
There is a point in the movie when Lionel records Bertie speaking into a gramophone and gives him the recording. The effect of listening to his own voice is incredibly therapeutic. It can be beneficial for you too. It is impossible to objectively analyze our own speaking voice in the moment. So use the voice memo function on your smart phone, or even better, video record yourself speaking to listen (and see) where you need improvement.

Whether you have weak presentation skills or not, we all have obstacles in our path to greatness. Be as courageous as Bertie in facing those shortcomings, and who knows, you may just change the world.

There are so many other great lessons from the film. What did you take away?

To Become Better, Present Like TED

November 17, 2010 in Presenting, Public Speaking | No comments

TED can teach you a lot about making a project presentation or presenting to win new business. TED who? TED, the small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. TED started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from Technology, Entertainment and Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader. Now there are conferences all over the world and over 700 of the talks are available for free viewing at TED.com.

My wife often finds me in bed, lit only by the glow of an iPhone, headphones on, engrossed in a TED speech. To justify this obsession, I will share 3 tips I’ve learned from TED that will make you a better presenter.

Surprise and Delight With Visual Aids
For most creative professionals, presenting with visual aids is second nature. But it’s nice to know there is some science backing up our intuition. According to John Media, author of Brain Rules,“if information is presented orally, people remember about 10 percent, tested 72 hours after exposure. That figure goes up to 65 percent if you add a picture.”

In her TED presentation Stroke of Insight, brain scientist Jill Bolte Taylor recounts a deeply moving story of consciously experiencing a stroke. To make her point about the different parts of the brain, she puts on a pair of rubber gloves and carries out an actual preserved brain, complete with spinal column. Nobody in the audience will forget this.

Whenever I have the opportunity to meet with a potential client about refreshing their brand, I bring along a card trick as a visual aid. First, I lay out a series of about 15 business cards and explain that these are the “before” category. Then I lay down an “after” card that we have designed as part of the brand refresh assignment. It’s a powerful contrast between “before” and “after.” Allowing the client to see and touch actual business cards makes the presentation very real.

Speak With Passion About Your Passion
There are few rules regarding content for TED presentations. Presenters are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes). The presentations that succeed wildly are those where the presenter speaks with passion about their passion. Enthusiasm is infectious.

Daniel Pink, a recovering lawyer and former speech writer for Al Gore, builds a passionate case for “now that” rewards in his TED presentation The Surprising Science of Motivation. This presentation is the foundation for his terrific book Drive also about motivation.

When presenting to your clients, tap into what excites you about the creative solution you are proposing. Remember that truly creative work will push your client beyond their comfort zone. Your enthusiasm will go a long way to pull them back to approving your ideas.

Tell Stories
Stories have the unique ability to transform your presentations into an engaging journey. Stories can persuade, motivate and inspire in ways that stand alone facts and visuals can’t. The goal of your presentation is to persuade your client to adopt your solution or your promise of a future solution. Use stories as a tool to get you there.

Sarah Jones’ One-Woman Global Village hilarious presentation is a medley of stories from at least five different characters of her invention. Complete with pitch perfect accents and mannerisms, she is magnetic in pulling the audience into her presentation.

When presenting to prospective clients, tell stories of how you solved similar problems to those they are facing. If you want to get fancy, call this a case study. When presenting to an existing client, tell the story of how you arrived at the creative solution you are recommending.

Presentations are the moment of truth that all our creative work hinges upon. Too often, they are an afterthought. A great way to improve your presentation skills is to watch and listen to TED presentations. They are delivered by remarkable individuals on fascinating topics. Stefan Sagmeister, in The Power of Time Off uses impeccable visual aids (he’s a graphic designer) and speaks with passion about taking one year off for every 7 years worked. He tells a captivating story about how his experience on sabbatical in Bali created a treasure chest of inspiration for future design problems. If you can incorporate these three techniques into your presentations, you will be more influential. You may even be invited to present at TED.

My Top 5 TED Presentations
Daniel Pink – Surprising Science of Motivation
Liz Gilbert – Nurturing Creativity
Stefan Sagmeister – The Power of Time Off
Sarah Jones – One-Woman Global Village
Jill Bolte Taylor – Stroke of Insight

Which are your favorite TED presentations?

5 Email Marketing Mistakes To Avoid

October 14, 2010 in eMail Marketing | No comments

Is your email marketing as effective as it could be? I receive a lot of email marketing blasts and have noticed a pattern of consistent mistakes. This brief guide identifies five common pitfalls and offers suggestions on what to do instead.

1. Weak Subject Lines
By far the most important part of your email marketing message is the Subject Line. Since we all receive more email than we have time for, readers are looking for an excuse to delete emails towards their quest for in-box zero. I see too many Subject Lines that are not intriguing enough to get the reader to open. If your email isn’t opened, then all the time you’ve spent crafting the interior message is wasted.

The Subject Line must offer a compelling promise to readers that will be fulfilled upon opening the email. The Subject Line should focus on how the reader will benefit from the information contained within the email. For example, the Subject Line of this e-mail “5 Email Marketing Mistakes To Avoid ” offers free advice to make you more savvy in your use of email marketing.

2. Content That Doesn’t Offer Value
I see a lot of email blasts that are simply Project Completion Announcements. Good news is always worth sharing with your audience. Just be sure to make a connection between the news item and how it benefits the reader. For example, focus on what you learned from the completed project and how this will benefit the reader (who is hopefully a future client).

Just like the person who is always telling you how great they are, e-mail blasts that are about me, me, me get old quick. Aim for a balance of content that is 20% about you and 80% for the reader. Be generous in sharing knowledge, tips, secrets, and solutions for making the reader better, smarter or faster.

3. Brand Inconsistency
Too many e-mail blasts don’t look or sound like the firm that is sending them. This lack of continuity causes confusion for the reader and may plant a seed of doubt as to the authenticity of the blast. Your e-mail blasts must have the same look and feel as your website, business card and all other marketing materials.

It may be tempting to use a free template that your email service provider offers. But your firm offers custom professional services so your email blasts should reflect that. Hire a professional designer to create a template that you can then update for subsequent blasts.

4. Neglecting the Preview Window
Most people decide whether or not to read your email based on the following ritual. They scan the “From” line to determine if they know and trust you. The next hurdle is the “Subject” line. If it is intriguing, then the reader will scan the “Preview Window” to ensure the content fulfills the promise of the subject line. Too many email blasts neglect the top 4 inches of the email message (that shows up in the preview window). This valuable real estate needs to 1) establish trust by displaying your brand identity 2) be visually interesting so the reader wants to go deeper.

5. An Overwhelming Sea of Text
Perception is reality. An email blast that seems like it will require a lot of effort to read is immediately judged as work and we’ve all got plenty of that to do already. If you have a lot of content, then post the first paragraph to hook the reader and include a link to read the whole story on your blog. Another approach is to offer the text in digestible bites. Make the text scannable with bold headlines and then a few sentences of supporting text. Don’t forget to include compelling imagery. Photography or illustration will quickly draw someone into your content. It can also add additional meaning and make your content more memorable.

As a marketer, I know your time and resources are limited. The previous tips will help you get the most return on your email marketing investment. Feel free to add me, david (at) lecoursdesign.com, to your mailing list. I’d love to see what you create.

Quick Tips
Write 10 possible Subject Lines for your blast and pick the most compelling one
In developing content for your blast, keep asking how your reader will benefit
Break up lengthy text into digestible sections and use imagery to keep readers engaged

Digging Deeper
Tips on Writing Magnetic Headlines (applies to Subject Lines too) from Copyblogger
LecoursDesign helps firms create compelling email marketing campaigns
Email Marketing: Getting Readers to Open

Creative Postpartum Depression? You Are Not Alone

September 9, 2010 in Creativity | 1 comment

I admit it. As a man, I have never given birth. But I have delivered over a thousand of my creative offspring. After delivery, I often suffer from creative postpartum depression. In fact, I recently delivered my first keynote speech and I’m in a funk right now. Hopefully, sharing some advice about this gloomy phenomenon will enlighten us both.

Why We Get Blue
Newton’s Third Law of Motion says that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. So, when we open ourselves to birth creative projects, expect a forthcoming contraction.

As creative professionals, we interrogate life and search for meaning. Many of us are highly sensitive. We notice and feel things deeply. We create to connect with our audience (and ourselves) on an emotional level. While sensitivity makes us good at what we do, it also makes us susceptible to depression.

What I’m referring to here is minor depression which may include symptoms like malaise, lack of enthusiasm, poor self esteem, feeling overwhelmed, social withdrawal and finding fault with everything and everyone.

What To Do
Acceptance – Embrace that post project depression is our body and mind’s way of conserving energy while giving us necessary feedback to make sure that we are sustainable. Eric Maisel, Ph.D. who wrote The Creative Person’s Path Through Depression writes “this is a valuable time for introspection, rest and renewal.” Occasionally, we have to get off the hamster wheel to assess what we learned, how we can improve and which Habitrail tube to travel down next.

Fitness – Even if we just want to lay on the coach and watch Star Wars 4, 5 and 6, get some exercise too. This helps regulate brain chemistry. “Almost every dimension of cognition improves from 30 minutes of aerobic exercise. The type of exercise doesn’t matter, and the boost lasts for at least two hours afterward,” according to John Medina, author of Brain Rules.

Diet – Eat nourishing food. Avoid the temptation of excessive alcohol, drugs and sugar that often ride sidecar to celebrating the completion of our creative endeavors.

Sleep – There’s a good chance we’ve been taking out withdrawals from our sleep bank in order to meet deadlines. After delivery, we need to repay our debt by getting back to a regular sleep schedule. Beware of chronic oversleeping (more than 8 hours) as this is a symptom of deeper depression.

Journal – Express yourself and how you are feeling. Admission of your anger or fear or hopelessness can often help dissipate it before it gets turned inward in the form of further depression.

Humor/Joy - Watch a comedy, read a book by someone named Sedaris, listen to Ricky Gervais, or seek the things and people that bring you joy.

Make Something – This doesn’t have to be a grand opus. Make a delicious dinner, a little poem or shoot some photos. The moment you do this, you regain a little bit of your creative power which reminds the depression that you’re the boss.

Ultimately what can be more painful than minor depression is not practicing our craft. So, it’s important to get back to creating as soon as possible. I know this can be hard. Sometimes we fear that what we create next could never match or exceed our last accomplishment. Don’t let this block you. What the world needs is for us to conceive, incubate and deliver our next brilliant creative project. I’m feeling better already :)

What Do You Think?
Has this ever happened to you?
What do you do when creative postpartum depression hits you?
Do you think creative postpartum depression can be helpful or harmful?

Speaking Attracts Clients: How to Get Started

July 20, 2010 in Personal Brand, Positioning, Public Speaking, Thought Leading | 5 comments

I have yet to find a better way to attract great clients than positioning yourself as an expert within their tribe. The two best ways to demonstrate expertise are speaking and writing. With speaking, you can make a deeper connection because your audience can experience your thinking in real time. This is akin to the increased emotional impact of seeing your favorite band in concert versus simply reading their lyrics.

Speaking is harder than writing so fewer people travel this path. This is an opportunity for you to soar but I empathize that standing alone on stage may freak you out. You’re not alone. It’s a primal fear hard wired into our collective consciousness because we relate standing alone to being a potential appetizer for a T-Rex. To shield you from harm, I’ve outlined how to get started, what to speak about and where to speak. Develop this skill and you will attract clients that value your brilliance.

How To Get Started
Speaking is a learned skill. In the four years I’ve been involved with Toastmasters, I’ve consistently seen guests attend their first meeting and sheepishly stand up to say their name while staring at their toes. Within a couple months, the very same people are delivering 5–7 minute speeches to great applause.

Find and join a Toastmasters club. I’m a member of two clubs. There is no better return on investment for your career. You’ll improve your speaking, listening, self-esteem and leadership skills in a fun and supportive environment. I recommend visiting a few clubs in your area to “date before you marry.” Each club has it’s own culture and traditions.

What To Speak About
As an excuse to avoid speaking, I frequently hear people say “I don’t have material that people want to hear” or “don’t I need to be a book author or P.h.D to be a speaker?” Nonsense. We all underestimate how much expertise we already have. You can speak about a problem that you recently solved for a client. If you want to get fancy, call this a case study. Speak about patterns or trends in your client’s industry. Then take a step further and offer some suggestions on how to respond to these trends. Give a “how-to” speech on something you know clients are putting off. You could also create a humorous speech about common mistakes that clients make when working with a firm like yours.

Where To Speak
You are not going to be invited to speak at the TED Conference right away. But there are many venues to practice your craft. Speaking is like a muscle that you need to exercise regularly. Find as much stage time as you can. I’ve spoken at talent shows, conferences, luncheons, breakfast meetings, weddings and funerals. A great place to start is on a panel. Not all eyes are on you and you can distribute the workload among the other panelists. Good panels feel like a candid conversation (with the audience listening in).

Speaking Works
People don’t buy your services, they buy what you believe. Speaking works as a marketing tool because it is an opportunity for you to share what you believe in a non-sales environment. People don’t like to be sold to. So use speaking as a tool to build trust and then enjoy potential clients approaching you with their business card.

Simple Guide to an Intriguing Self Intro

June 22, 2010 in Identity, Networking, Personal Brand, Positioning | 1 comment

The self-introduction is such a simple and effective way to build awareness for your business. Often called the “elevator speech,” I prefer “self-intro” because delivering a speech in an elevator is absurd. Plus, the goal is to engage in a dialogue, not deliver a monologue. When asked “so, what do you do?,” seize this opportunity. A compelling self-intro is a catalyst for someone to ask you follow-up questions. Before you know it, you’ll be engaged in a stellar conversation. Conversation leads to connection which is the ultimate goal.

I understand that it’s awkward talking about yourself because you fear sounding pompous. As a result, most of us self-introduce poorly. But done well, it’s an authentic, two-way, targeted marketing communication tool that can instantly create a favorable impression for you and your brand.

Self-Introduction Basics
I recommend having two versions of your self-intro. The short version should be about 10-15 words. Mine sounds like this: “I’m a coach helping creative businesses soar.”

Here are the key elements (using my example above). Include your occupation (coach), services (coaching), target audience (creative businesses) and specific benefits received from working with you (soar). The key is to craft something you’d say to a friend. If it is too canned, you’ll sound like a cheesy pre-recorded salesbot and you’ll never use it.

For the long version of your self-intro, start off with a question that demonstrates that you understand a commonly held challenge facing your target audience. I would ask, “you know how creative professionals often don’t like to market themselves? Well, as a marketing coach, I help creative professionals define their core genius to attract clients that value their brilliance. I offer guidance from my 15 years of owning a creative firm.” According to Michael Port, author of Book Yourself Solid, you might elaborate on your services or add an example of a “wow” success story. You could also focus more on the benefits clients receive when working with you.

Common Mistakes
I recently led a workshop on this topic for my Toastmaster’s club. Here are some areas where people struggled. By just stating your occupation, “I’m a designer,” you instantly commodify yourself. Another pitfall is saying what’s true, but not unique. Remember, this is a positioning statement which is about differentiation. Finally, watch for language that looks impressive when written but sounds ridiculous when telling a friend. If you include business cliches like “synergize, best of breed, core competency, win-win or paradigm shift,” then punch yourself in the mouth and start over.

Next Steps
Just as important as the words you choose is the excercise of having to narrow your focus and prioritize. So, start working on your 10-15 words to pique enough interest that you’ll be asked follow-up questions. When your self-introduction is clear and concise, like the premise of a great movie, then others can easily spread your message like a blockbuster referral.

Lift Your Brand Using The Halo Effect

May 18, 2010 in Brand, Branding, Event Marketing, Positioning | 9 comments

When things happen to me in threes, I take notice. I recently had three different experiences where my perception of a brand was lifted. (Evidently being a brand expert does not make me immune to the “mind control” brands employ.) All three experiences were with car brands and they all used the “halo effect” to sway my impressionable mind.

The Halo Effect
This brand building strategy is accomplished by aligning your brand (a) with a very shiny person, place, event or other brand (b). The luminosity of brand (b) is so great that it (b) casts a favorable glow onto your brand (a). It’s a clever way to elevate the perception of your brand through association. Think of not-so-smooth Turtle hanging out with heartthrob Vince in HBO’s Entourage and you get the idea.

Leverage The Best of Your Community
My first halo effect experience was at a party that Dave Brown of Holiday Matinee invited me to. Dave and Zack Nielsen of Sezio have an enviable project of spending Ford’s money to promote the Ford Fiesta. Ford gave them a car, cash, creative tools, and instructions to simply talk about the Fiesta. One of Dave and Zack’s brilliant solutions was to tap into their own creative community and throw a party at a cool location (Bar Basic) with great music and people. The event included a few hipster retailers creating pop-up stores within the party. I never would have paid a second look to the Ford Fiesta but as I was leaving the party, I glanced at the strategically parked car thinking to myself, “that’s a pretty cool little ride.” I felt punk’d, but in a good way.

Associate Your Brand with Impeccable Quality
Full Disclosure: I own a Honda Element which was mostly a practical decision based on the functionality of being able to insert my dog, surfboard and wife’s Prius into the back of the car. Even after buying the car, I wasn’t a Honda fan until after being introduced to a series of short documentary films called Dream The Impossible available here. The film’s universal themes in Failure: The Secret to Success and Racing Against Time move me on an emotional level. I also appreciate that while the films were commissioned by Honda, they are not about cars. Using quality imagery, music and story telling, the films are so beautifully executed that they radically shifted my perception of Honda.

Make Fun of Yourself
Many years ago I decided that it was just too much work to be cool. If your brand, or category, is notoriously uncool, a great strategy is to make fun of yourself. This will differentiate you from your competitors that take themselves way too seriously. Humor is always cool. And if you can pull it off like Toyota’s campaign for the Sienna mini-van (previously uncool), then you’ve scored. The hilarious ads and mock hip-hop music video Rollin’ in my Swagger Wagon left me thinking that maybe I should get some kids and a Sienna, err Swagger Wagon. Never thought I’d say that.

I know what your thinking. The car industry has gazillion dollar marketing budgets to shape hearts and minds. Yes they do, but you don’t have to. Take the strategies from above and execute it guerilla style (i.e. on the cheap).

So, how can you use the “halo effect” to cast a favorable glow onto your brand? Consider teaming up with another brand that may be extra-shiny. Doing work for shiny brands can be beneficial. I still have people think that we are responsible for launching Red Bull in the USA because we designed some simple graphics for their first in-store promotion. Getting shiny people to interact with work you’ve done is also effective. If they’ll provide some sort of endorsement, then even better. If there is a way to place your work in a shiny environment, do so. An artist friend of mine Susan Wickstrand Roche has some of her artwork in the hit TV show Modern Family. In short, constantly be searching for opportunties to promote your brand so you don’t have to always do the heavy lifting.

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