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Design, R.Dick
Photography, B.Brule
Tree, gordongroup

Acres of Diamonds

Someone I’ve not met in person who resides in the United States is the subject of this post. The individual's name is Joseph Skursky and I was fortunate to come into contact with Joseph using the popular social utility LinkedIN. 

Joseph through his networking has made connections in my part of the world here in Ottawa Canada. I’m not clear how the initial link I made with him started but that resulted in Joseph becoming part of my network. I'm fortunate however circumstances made that happen. Subsequently we got into a telephone conversation about his business associates. Associates specifically located in the city where I happen to be operating my organization.

My thought process goes as follows.

1. Geographic location is not a barrier today when forming your network. (This is fairly obvious but when people like Joseph call you up you appreciate the potential today for working at a distance ) 
2. I admit my skepticism puts a great deal of repellent effort toward those who we have limited background on or who may be calling in without having some prior knowledge of what they're offering or other references.
3. The profile about Joseph was quite impressive including his extensive connections.
4. My curiosity drove me to take his call and determine what potential opportunities may unfold.

OUTCOME

Joseph introduced me to people in Ottawa who are now playing a central role in what is expansion in the broadcast and digitization media space. His tactful counsel and introduction to some very insightful experts has opened opportunity to my organization and those whom we have been introduced. More importantly the introduction will result in an upside for our clients as a result of Joseph initiating a new partnership and collaborative forum. The collaboration will drive value to the clients in support of their specific aspirations and intentions to communicate to their audiences.

The idea around Earl Nightingales “Acres of Diamonds” couldn’t be more apt to describe the connections you have within the Social Utilities you build today. One has to be proactive and take or make the call to enjoy the good things from introductions online

A final note: I have Joseph’s Blog linked here “Keys 2 Business Growth” this is the highest ranking entry point of traffic to my blog. This illuminates the importance of establishing allies in the blogosphere who value and compliment your specific interests. THANKS JOSEPH!

Cross promote locally or internationally a great way to start the day.

I welcome your links and your comments. Have a great weekend!

Convergence & Video

Before was focus and read now its click, play, listen and watch. Overnight video has emerged as the primary mechanism for communications online. 

Video offers some interesting opportunities for organizations. The web has effectively changed the game of distributing content. The term brochure ware has been dropped out of marketing lexicon while the notion of “PLAY” and digital media is the central element of the organizations brand building tool kit.

My aspirations to do filmmaking have come to fruition largely due to a groundswell of demand for content to be broadcast online and in digital format. Evidently we may all be filmmakers as video and animated digital integrates as a primary media for communicating.

Organizations contemplating their options and judging where to invest market dollars today have many choices to consider. You want to ensure you remain vital and competitive. Consideration to leveraging design and innovation in support of driving new business opportunities has to be central to growing and attracting new customers. The important foundation that remains constant among all aspects of technologies, medias, and tools whether digital, traditional, conversations or sand which boards is the identity framework. The core definition of who your company is or who you are as an individual is at the epicenter of successful brand development. So before you get out your HD camera, or engage the web designer or buy a billboard make an investment to engage creative people who will ask the proper questions, research and listen to you and in turn craft a meaningful identity framework that will support and drive building your brand for you and your committed team and your market.

The identity framework has the following structural elements.

Essence

Core Constructs

Extended Identity

Value Propositions

Attributes

Tag lines

We will have ample opportunity to go online and broadcast our organizations unique characteristics. Foundational to leadership in brand building is ensuring the story is meaningful, easy to understand and persuasive.

I got a call last week from an individual who was reading my blog from the United States he contacted me through LINKEDIN. I’ve been following the social media dialogue with great interest looking at ways to connect the dots for my clients as well I’m interested in leveraging the technologies for driving new business opportunity within my fold. I must say LINKEDIN has an upside that I believe provides great utility for people in marketing specifically those selling business to business.  In support of driving new business today I see four activities in support of sales cycles that frankly were not available until recently. The sales cycle chain of activity today goes as follows.

View My Profile

1. Do an Identity Framework that is persuasive and meaningful. Place this on your LINKEDIN home page. Get a professional who understands brand to check it out for you or better engage a brand expert to execute your I.F.
2. Get referred by business people who you trust and whom you can in turn network with. Referrals today remain the fastest way to new business opportunities
3. Contact your new prospect based on the referral book time to meet.
4. Post the call; send the prospect a request for them to join your   LINKEDIN network.

Simple idea but for someone like me who has networked for many years growing relations this new step is a very effective touch point toward augmenting that initial telephone conversation and building your personal or organization’s brand.

This form of networking with prospects is a completely new way to build a relationship. Previously the telephone conversation set the standard for introduction and defining a relationship. I have found augmenting the conversation with LINKEDIN networking provides your contact core information that enables a much better picture of who you are, who belongs within your community of contacts and other relevant information that should the contact wish to explore their at liberty to do so. Preparation for meeting can be done with much greater understanding of who is meeting whom once the day arrives to shake hands.

Welcome to social media!

From Jeremy Kuzub who wrote...

I noticed this neat angle on Google - it shows a lot of insight and thinking into their own product and is the fruit of some enlightened self reflection I think.

Why do people use Google? They follow that question to the human side of things and uncover the real value that they offer to people and articulate in a way that is fitting of their brand image. Be neat to hear what you think!

http://www.youtube.com/searchstories?utm_source=en-us-ctpt-display-ss&utm_medium=ha&utm_campaign=en

Feel free to forward,

Thanks!
Jeremy

Bob on Brand writes...

I took a look what is evident as you say is the Human side and how "search" is arguably an extension of our senses. We can have an information feast could be a snack, decadent meal, desert or some other form of consumption. I think its also cool how the interface design google created back when they first launched is essentially the same today. The site design has brilliant functionality credit to the people in their day who envisioned and engineered the largest archive ever.

google is a new phenomena by comparison to old distribution technologies ie: TV, Radio, Telephone. Marshall Mcluhan who was famous for the slogan "media is the massage" had an acute ability to define how these old medias changed human habits or defined impacts technologies played on our senses.

I recall he described TV as a hot media where anchors or commentators would do better job of conveying the news message if they used a more calm restful approach because this would result in a better capture by listeners/viewers of the broadcast. Wolf Blitzer it occurs to me is a hot commentator "highly wound up character" within a hot media this seems to me is an example of why the show "the situation room" is so hard to settle into. The broadcaster in these scenarios I believe is doing a disservice to the viewer. It's not long before the remote button channels away. Trouble with the format when the emotional amperage is so highly wound the sensationalism dilutes the essence of the news value.

Mcluhan made many fascinating observations about technologies the other apt reference he defined was "the global village" It would be great to hear a Mcluhanist prophetic explaining what this new form of media means, looking toward the future.

From a design perspective I think we're witnessing a major democratizing of information available to everyone. Including information that has varying degrees of value.

I see a new conversation emerging and its about design and making information meaningful.

Design of information and related technologies / process's will be paramount to competitive advantage and sustaining vital and progressive organizations. Eventually design will rank higher and emerge to the forefront. People recognize design value today as a core driver for changing perceptions, gaining market share or building investments..ie: Obama, iphone, Target, gordongroup ....

Jeremy of course you already practice engineering with design as a primary construct of your brilliant solutions. This is evident in the interactive web based learning modules you produce on behalf of the federal governments aerospace investment.

JEREMY'S WORK IS FEATURED IN AN EARLIER POST Making the Complex Clear

We're fortunate to have clients who partner with us in extraordinary design.

Your thoughts?

Bob