Delightful Archive

It must have been like working on the proverbial second music album.

You’re a new kid on the block and your first attempt at making marketing history goes stratospheric – 10 million views on YouTube and counting!

Everyone wonders if your next release is going to top the first.

You’ve told a major magazine that it’s coming in weeks.

It gets delayed for months.

And then this happens…

Pretty funny huh? Maybe (I’m sorry Mike) not has funny as Number 1, but still UNEXPECTED!

Who expected botty wipes from these guys? Who expected nearly a million views in a little under a week either?

And WHO expected a name like One Wipe Charlies?

You see Michael Dubin is all about being UNEXPECTED and quite rightly so.

In a crowded market like men’s personal stuff, you need to stand out, be agile and, dare I say, delightful.

His “unexpected” mantra can be applied to any market, especially when you’re looking to shine head and shoulders above your competition using social and digital media. You just need to be creative and not give your audience something, “they could have written themselves.”

You often only get one shot. A split second to draw people in and keep them engaged as your carefully thought out brand idea unravels before their eyes and captures and holds their attention long enough for them to want (no NEED) to share your content.

This is what Michael Dubin and his Dollar Shave Club empire do so well and I hope books will be written about them in years to come! (There’s an idea!)

They’ve also helped me find a use for Klout! I got pinged last week with a perk that meant I could watch the video again and then get sent a free trial pack of the butt wipes. Thank you Joe Fernandez!

If you’re looking to get ahead of your competitors, remember it’s not the technology that will propel you into the lead, it’s the idea.

Don’t let myths about stuff going viral because of YouTube or Twitter or Facebook distract you from focusing on the big idea.

If you do, you might just get left………behind!

Last week, I attended a time management course at SCORE, which is a nonprofit small business advice service based in Seattle.

The course was delivered by a chap called Greg Paley, who has been a successful business person within the field of digital media.

The reason why I felt compelled to attend was because as a new business owner myself, I’m always trying to make sure that my time is being is spent as wisely as possible.

I’ve always been the type of person who is a bit of a procrastinator. In fact I self diagnosed myself about a year ago as a maladaptive perfectionist. Now a maladaptive perfectionist is someone who likes to have everything just so, but because they know that not everything is going to be perfect, they delay until the last minute in actually getting anything done, thus exacerbating the fact that the results of their work will not actually be as perfect as they want them to be.

Sounds crazy? Yes! Tell me about it!

During my time at LookSmart (from 2000 until 2003) I used to get myself in quite a state, always feeling like there was too much to do and too little time. My boss at the time, Rob Pearson, called me into a room one day and suggested I take a time management course. (Yes I have now been on two, but they were 10 years apart!)

The day I entered the classroom, in a tiny office above Tottenham Court Road in London, change my life! The guy teaching the course was an ex-British Airways steward who had decided to get into corporate training. At one point during the course he started talking about the “circle of influence and concern”, something that Steven Covey talks about in the “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”. You can read more about that at this post, as right now I’m in a hurry to explain how having an excellent grasp on your own time management can help enhance your personal brand!

During Greg Paley’s presentation he talked about the prevailing attitudes that we all have towards the amount of time there is to get done what we need to get done.

Things like:

• No matter what I do, I still don’t or won’t have enough time
• I work better under pressure
• Time management is just common sense
• I use an appointment calendar and a to do list: is not good enough?
• I don’t have time to learn how to do all of this

Any of these sound familiar?

Flickr Credit AToach

Greg also poked a little fun at all those people who seem to spend so much time telling everyone how busy they are, so much so, that it actually makes them underperform.

If there’s one thing seven years of Microsoft told me, it was how to plan my time, plan ahead, and plan with other people’s agendas in mind. My personal tactics are to use Microsoft Outlook is my calendar, use my inbox as a to do list of actions, emails, or things I have to read, and I have a real world notebook and pen in which I not only write notes from meetings, but also copious amounts of to do lists.

It really doesn’t take much to use these few tools in order to look forward now and again (at least once a day) to what meetings you might have coming out, deadlines you have looming, or people you should be contacting or following up with.

Getting a grip on your day-to-day activity, anticipating that other’s may not be as organized as you are, and sending an email or making a phone call couple of days in advance of the meeting or deadline, can not only help them prioritize their own task list, but also potentially save a last-minute scramble.

I honestly used to think that I thrived off stress; that being in a rush to the finish line at the end of every project, meeting, brainstorm, or reporting cycle, somehow made the work better. But it’s only now in my 13th year in the digital industry that I feel somewhat in control of how I manage my time, and therefore how that time management affects the other people across the projects that I’m involved with.

Like many others, I have a lot to do, but I always try and keep everything prioritized to keep ahead of the curve so that I don’t impact anybody else’s work life balance or their stress levels. There are a few things worse in our business lives than having a deadline looming and worring that there will be some kind of crazy hiatus coming down the line that could’ve been avoided.

One of the best pieces of advice I was ever given during my time at Microsoft, was to never accept the meeting request that did not have an agenda attached to it, and to never accept meetings that were in hour-long. The advice said that nothing that could be said in an hour couldn’t be thrashed out in 45 minutes, and by giving yourself that 15 minutes back, meant that you have time to reflect on the meeting you just been in and plan for the meeting you might be about to go to.

This is been invaluable advice to me, advice that I’ve held even more dear since starting Delightful Communications. The fact that I try and keep meetings to a minimum, means now I have more time to actually do the work my clients are paying me to do.

Having more time to do the work, means I’m more productive, and I hope the results of that much more sweeter for the client.

Before starting my business, I was encouraged to read “Million-Dollar Consulting” by Alan Weiss. In this remarkable book, Weiss states that true wealth comes not from the amount of money you have, but from the amount of time you have to enjoy that money. I’ve never understood the attraction of “pulling long hours” in order to get a project finished, or this very idea that unless you’ve spent many many hours producing a report, or writing some technical spec, it can’t be very good.

Getting a grip on your time, providing timely responses, planning ahead and anticipating your workload’s next direction can really help improve your quality of life.

Trying to chip away at Greg’s “prevailing attitudes” and using all the tools available to you to keep you on an efficient and productive course will enable and not hinder your future professional growth, your family will love you for it, and your co-workers will see you in a new and endearing light.

Having excellent time management skills is so important to how the people that work with (and for you) perceive your professionalism and productivity.

Isn’t it time you though about spending more time on things that really matter?

If this post resonated with you please share it. If you hated it, please share it anyway and let me know why!

The work I get to do with Majestic SEO never ceases amaze me (among many other things) because of the good luck I get whenever I’m on their booth at many of the digital conferences I attend with them around the world.

A couple of weeks ago, it just happened that our booth at SMX West was smack bang next to Market Motive’s where the fabulous Jennifer Cario (nee Laycock) was signing copies of her new book: Pinterest Marketing: An Hour a Day

Not one to pass up an opportunity, and always on the look out for tips to pass onto my clients and followers, I asked Jennifer if she could spare a few minutes chatting to me about the book, what tips she had for businesses when it comes to their Pinterest marketing, where Pinterest marketing should fit into the overall social media mix, and how marketers should be thinking about copyright and trademark issues so they don’t get into a sticky mess with their pinning.

I know from my experience with clients – I also pin Delightful social media insight and digital PR research when I can – that Pinterest can be a wonderful resource and source of traffic for websites, but that, even though we keep hearing it’s a must “have” social channel, many businesses are still a little in the dark as to how to leverage it well enough to justify the time spent.

Jennifer gave some great, no-nonsense answers to all those questions, so if you are in any doubt as to whether your Pinterest marketing strategy is heading in the right direction, take a peek at the video above and follow Jennifer on Twitter for all her Pinterest goodness.

Thanks,

Mel

P.S. If you think Jennifer’s Pinterest tips and advice are worth sharing, why don’t you share this post and let all your followers in on the information!

Whether you’re looking for a new job, you have a public-facing role in the role you’re in right now, or you’re just simply curious what Personal Branding is all about, then this post should add value to whatever you know already.

Where are Your Digital Footprints Taking You?

As I’ve written in the Delightful Personal Branding blurb on this site, the proliferation of the web and social media means having an optimized presence online is crucial for a number of reasons:

• I’ve been told by people “in the know” at search engines that searches for names represent 60% of search queries. Now I’m pretty sure they meant brand searches, because most people use Google and Bing as navigation aids as well as looking for stuff, but people names are going to make up a significant proportion of that massive number and that means YOU are going to be among them!
• If you have a Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn account, and your name isn’t as common as “John Smith”, then the chances are you’re going to rank very highly via these social media sites because those networks are very authoritative with the search engines. If that’s the case, doesn’t it make sense to make sure they present you and your brand in the best light possible?
• Somewhere down the line, you might want run for office or have a family and how are voters or your kids going to feel if your online persona is littered with compromising photographs, factual errors, missing data or, even worse, NOTHING can be found out about you at all!

Making sure that you have a tidy house online says a lot about you:

• It shows how serious you are about people getting a good first impression when they look you up.
• It helps people find the right sort of information about you and puts you in control of your personal brand.
• And it shows you actually care what people can discover about you online, and acting like you care adds positive fuel to your fire.

Now you might be thinking: “Who are these people that are looking for me online?”

Well here are a few scenarios:

• Job recruiters and headhunters – whether you have applied for a job or not.
• People in your company that want to know more about you.
• People in other companies that want to know more about you – they may be competition or potential work partners.
• Ex-flames!
• Potential new flames!
• Long-lost relatives.
• The nice lady you always chat too at the supermarket checkout.
• On and on and on…..

Now having an effective, orderly and clean online presence is fine, but in order to maintain it you need to learn to conduct yourself in a manner that shows your interested and interesting.

This might mean:

• Regularly checking and updating your various profiles to make sure they are accurate and current.
• Having a no swearing policy – what would Aunt Mary from Outer Mongolia think?! – unless of course you’re a rock star and that sort of thing is cool (man)!
• Keeping abreast of social networks’ privacy policies and security features, so you know the minute they change how to hide certain content or add new permission measures you can act swiftly.
• Simply adding a bit more flesh to your posts and updates so they are not so thin and cryptic and anyone can instantly see what you’re about – hopefully in a positive way.

Personal Branding is not something you get right overnight. It takes discipline and nurturing to start cultivating an online persona that starts paying dividends.

The good news is that it can be done, and over the next few months I’ll be updating the Delightful Blog and adding links to this post that will give you some ideas, tips and examples of how you can look good online so people like you, you give a great impression to potential employers, and you leave a digital legacy that you can be proud of.

Thanks for reading,

@MelCarson

Here are more posts on Personal Branding from this blog:

3 Ways to Enhance Your Personal Brand at Work (CCs All Millennials!)

How To Present Yourself with True Confidence and Sincerity

If you’ve found this post useful, please share it using the button over to the right!

Photo Credit: M Pratter

So last year I couldn’t help but shed a tear at the John Lewis Christmas ad they put out.

It was going to be my daughter’s first Christmas and I got a little sentimental and maybe a little homesick too.

Fast forward to this year and they’ve not done a great job drawing some quite fierce criticism.

Now the very agile team at Ann Summers, who sell all sorts of fruity bedroom wear and sex toys, have leapt on the opportunity to provide their own “twist” on the John Lewis ad that had me crying into my keyboard with laughter.

Maybe I have a silly sense of humor but this tickled me….umm….pink!

Just in case Google pull it, here’s the final shot:

I remember when British Airways were having trouble with their strike and Ann Summers hijacked their brand term on Google AdWords, ads started appearing like the below:

You have to admire their balls!

Have a great weekend,

Mel

One of my favourite TV shows is The Good Wife, so my trip next week to Chicago will be doubly thrilling!

I’ll be there to speak at SES Chicago and represent Majestic SEO along with my friend Dixon Jones.

My session will be on Social Media Beyond Engagement and you can read all about that in an interview I did with the team last week.

Can’t wait to check out the evening scene too as I have never been to “The Windy City”.

Just hope we don’t bump into Kalinda.

She’s a little scary!

Cheers,

Mel

Those fabulous people at PR Week in the US have kindly asked me to speak on a panel at their virtual event tomorrow on: Navigating the Maze of Data Collection

Here’s the blurb:

The avenues through which you can glean data from consumers are endless. Numerous tools exist to measure how people interact with your website. For shared channels, free tools offer insight and analysis into how communities react to your content. Traditional tactics such as focus groups and surveys still have a place in the data-collection playbook. Then there are products that talk back, location-based data, and so much more.

PRWeek’s Gideon Fidelzeid moderates a discussion with leading experts from agencies, corporations, and measurement companies on identifying the best sources of data for your particular brand or program.
Panelists include Mel Carson, former Microsoft Digital Evangelist & founder of Delightful Communications, Nils Mork-Ulnes, VP of insights and analytics at Beyond, and Frank Strong, PR director at Vocus.

I’m really grateful to Steve Barrett for giving me this opportunity to rub shoulders with PR industry luminaries and veterans less than a month after Delightful launched.

Let’s hope I do him (and me) proud!

The date is October 25th and the time of my session is 1.40pm EST – please register here!

If you know anyone who might be interested in a lively discussion on big data and tools, then please share this post using the social media buttons.

See you there….virtually!

Mel

On my way to Las Vegas next week for the fabulous conference that is Pubcon run by the equally fabulous Brett Tabke and co.

I’ll be there with Dixon Jones representing Majestic SEO (see my latest post for them on removing Google penalties)  and I’ll be speaking on back to back panels on Thursday on Online Brand Management Studies and Twitter Customer Service Strategies.

I’ve not been for a few years, so really looking forward to getting back into that scene and catching up with old friends and colleagues!

If you’re going, come and visit the Majestic SEO stand and see our new fancy video!

My first speaking engagement after the launch of Delightful Communications will be at the Tradedoubler Connect 2012 event in London on 20th September.

The keynote speech will end the day with me telling Tales of the Digitally Unexpected.

Essentially, I’ll be regaling entertaining stories about how advertisers are keeping consumers interested and delighted by being smart about how and when they engage with them through digital channels.

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Well you have to start a new business blog somewhere, and seeing as Delightful Communications is all about digital marketing, PR and social media, a quote from Hugh MacLeod and Gapingvoid seemed very appropriate.

After 7 years blogging for Microsoft Advertising, Brand Republic, my personal site, and countless guest posts elsewhere, I’ve not lost any of my passion for the online marketing industry. And 12 years in search marketing, online advertising and social media on both sides of the Atlantic has helped usher me towards “authority” status, backed up by nice things people have said about me after speaking at events.

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