The Engaging Brand

Show 296 - Inspiring Resilience

Show 296 of The Engaging Brand leadership and marketing podcast is ready just for you. To subscribe or listen on your PC now - both for free, you don't need to download anything - all explained at the end of the post.

Great discussion with Jill Flint Taylor of leading well being consultancy Robertson Cooper about their latest research, concerning resilience. Jill is an expert in talent management, leadership development and well-being. Jill is also a Chartered Occupational Psychologist, so we should be in good hands today!

The free tool i-resilience can be found by clicking this link and looks at adaptability, purposefulness, social support and confidence - well worth checking out (Well it is free!)

• The correlation between resilience and support.
• Is resilience a positive or negative personal attribute?
• Is resilience a predictor of success?
• How different people perceive situations in a different way.
• The need for perception to match people's reality.
• How do I check my perception with others?
• Where do managers get support to increase their resilience
• How you can develop resilience over time.
• How people can develop confidence through their resilience at home.
• How resilience is multi-dimensional

Don't forget to subscribe to the show in iTunes or on the Blubrry site.

If you have feedback for me on the show or topics that you would like me to cover then e-mail me at anna@theengagingbrand.com or join me on twitter.

How you can listen to the Engaging Brand

1) You can listen on your PC now without downloading any software just click hear to listen to the latest marketing podcast

2) You can subscribe to the show via iTunes or

3) If you use a different podcatcher then you can subscribe using the following  http://www.podcasternews.com/feeds/enbr.xml

Are we born not to be compatible....?

The older I get the more I wonder about compatibility.

In success years customers want choice, want innovation, want the next new thing.....but businesses don't usually operate so quickly....for profit they want one product sold in one colour!

During recessions, customers want value over volume. Companies due to sales drop off, often need volume!

Maybe to be successful then you need to understand how to be compatible, not compatible with what you want but compatible with what your consumers want....

You see business is still about relationships and we all know how we need to work on compatibility at home :)

Show 295 - Tony Hsieh on Delivering Happiness at Zappos

Show 295 of The Engaging Brand leadership and marketing podcast is ready just for you. To subscribe or listen on your PC now - both for free, you don't need to download anything - all explained at the end of the post.

Great discussion with Tony Hsieh of Zappos about his new business book - Delivering Happiness

• What was the motivation for his entrepreneurship?
• How boredom can inspire creativity
• How simplicity can help deliver happiness
• Happiness as a business model
• Why customer service is so core to Zappos
• How profit for Zappos is secondary to a higher purpose
• How the telephone is the best branding tool
• Why social media is not a shortcut for personal emotional connection
• How learning and curiosity drives culture
• A story of how pizza defines a customer service culture

Don't forget to subscribe to the show in iTunes or on the Blubrry site.

If you have feedback for me on the show or topics that you would like me to cover then e-mail me at anna@theengagingbrand.com or join me on twitter.

How you can listen to the Engaging Brand

1) You can listen on your PC now without downloading any software just click hear to listen to the latest marketing podcast

2) You can subscribe to the show via iTunes or

3) If you use a different podcatcher then you can subscribe using the following  http://www.podcasternews.com/feeds/enbr.xml

Have you got the crumb factor?

To my mind customers don't just buy a product out of the blue - OK there are exceptions but in general, even subconsciously they need to be romanced before they become your loyal 'life partner'.

It's what Dad used to say to me is the Crumb Factor! You need to leave clues, you need to leave a trail of enticement to your checkout. He called it the Crumb Factor because they are tasters, they are nibbles which make the customer hungry for more....

Too often brands sell product, expecting the customer to jump to sale. But most people need a test drive before they buy a car! People want to be sure, they want to be sure their perception about you is valid, their perception of value is true. 

So do you have the crumb factor? Do you think about the crumb factor as a marketing tool which they will spread amongst their friends? Do you spend too much time thinking about the packet of biscuits without leaving a trail of goodness to the shelf?

Show 294 - All about the Referral Engine

Show 294 of The Engaging Brand leadership and marketing podcast is ready just for you. To subscribe or listen on your PC now - both for free, you don't need to download anything - all explained at the end of the post.

I speaking with John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing fame who has written all about the Referral Engine. We talk about  

• The importance of belief in gaining referrals
• How people ARE wired to refer your business
• Has there been a change in how referrals work with social media?
• The importance of valuing referrers -they are your volunteer salesforce!
• How you need a talkable difference - and what is a talkable difference?
• Is marketing on the web different? Do the 4 C's cross markets?
• How people who are being referred are much more educated now....so no sales patter!
• How well educated customers on your brand are good news....they are already prospective customer and potentially premium payers

Don't forget to subscribe to the show in iTunes or on the Blubrry site.

If you have feedback for me on the show or topics that you would like me to cover then e-mail me at anna@theengagingbrand.com or join me on twitter.

How you can listen to the Engaging Brand

1) You can listen on your PC now without downloading any software just click hear to listen to the latest marketing podcast

2) You can subscribe to the show via iTunes or

3) If you use a different podcatcher then you can subscribe using the following  http://www.podcasternews.com/feeds/enbr.xml

Does your brand create celebrity customers?

Over the last decade there has been a huge growth in reality television - feeding this idea of a shortcut to fame.

I believe that brands can tap into this concept

1. Think ideastorm. Can you offer the chance for people to show their great ideas and be recognised by others for them.
2. Answering a tweet, answering a review or comment - this is not just communication but recognition at a personal level. Customers feel important, customers feel valued.
3. What about guest posts on your blog from loyal customers?
4. What about getting customers to take photos of how they use your 'stuff', using the photos in your brochure, on your site? Remember they will tell people to go and look at their work....driving volume, creating awareness.
5. What about recognition awards for people who have shown your brand values in real life?
6. What about getting people to join a research/testing group on Facebook? Send them new products, concepts....gain valuable insights.

People thrive on recognition - whether we admit it is another matter!

Brands thrive when people recognise their value so why not reciprocate?