The Village News-Southwest News -July 12, 2011

By Michelle Leigh Smith

Karen Kershner starts her day with a morning devotional. “My first goal of the day is to read a devotional that I can reflect during my yoga class at the Weekley Y.  Starting my day this way, keeps me focused on the big picture,” says Kershner, a vibrant, saucy corporate coach who has clients from Conroe to Cairo.

“My passion is developing people to live at their fullest potential,” she says. “When people talk about leaving a legacy, I want people to say by knowing Karen, I became a better person. I can give them tools to know themselves better.  “I’m all about learning and always want to know what’s new. Thanks to Twitter it’s easy. I follow Guy Kawasaki and Tony Hsieh, the founder of Zappos, because he is all about corporate culture. I like both of those guys because they have a pulse on what’s happening in business today.  “Plus, I participate in a couple of Linked in groups that focus on social media trends,”says the self-confessed self-help junkie.

One of her favorite networking events is the University of Houston Friends of Women’s Studies Table Talk each March.  “This event is all about people who are living their greatness, no matter what it is.” observes Kershner.   Elizabeth Gregory, director of the UH Friends of Women’s Studies says, “Karen is a person of real energy and accomplishment, which is the great fun about Table Talk — it’s a great collection of amazing women, and a chance to talk with many in one place.  This upcoming year is our fifteenth annual, and part of the joy of the event is that every year we have another 50 just as amazing as the last group. We have a deep pool of talent in Houston.”  

Armed with a journalism degree from the University of  Texas, Karen founded Communications Plus in 1979 to help service professionals brand themselves. Kershner recalls at that time, most agencies focused on marketing products – not services. Today, she still focuses on that niche—creating and executing integrated communications programs for clients in energy, healthcare, financial, commercial construction industries
sectors. She possesses a rare intensity which produces remarkable results.

“My work as a certified professional coach goes hand in hand with helping clients define their marketing needs and set objectives,” she explains. “I enjoy developing environments in which people live and breathe the brand of their organization.

“Brands are created by the mentality ofthe people within the organization,” she says as her green eyes grow wider with excitement.  “I develop people from a marketing perspective. America is becoming more service oriented. Employees are appreciated for their values, thus they are consequently more productive and passionate about their work. In the old industrial economy, managers told people how to be and didn’t really appreciate an individual’s unique capabilities.

Today, there is more of a mentality of putting people in the right jobs for them. “If you have someone who values problem solving and you put them in a rote answer role, you won’t get the optimum. In our own core strengths, we have to know and be able to do what’s right for the organization – the baby boomers, people are much more loyal, the younger generation sees other ways that may be more effective. We have to embrace that there are a number of ways to do the same thing. All the generations have a different approach, so we have to figure out how to harness that.  She wears dresses from small boutiques where she can find professional, unique choices – her favorite ones are French Cuff Boutique and Carrugi. Her indulgence of choice at the end of a tough day is champagne. In the community, Kershner is active in the United WayWomen’s Initiative. She serves on the Board of the Baylor Partnership and as a Life Member of the Women’s Home.  “I served on the Board of Managers of the Weekley YMCA for six years and still am active as a member and volunteer,” she says. “In fact, most weekday mornings you’ll find me there exercising or checking out what’s up at the Teen Breakfast Club, a before-school program I helped create last year.

YMCA

The United Way Women\’s Initiative

Communications Plus is also a finalist in the Product/Service Brochure and Direct Mail, 2 Dimensional Single Item categories for our Sam Houston Electric Cooperative Member Handbook and Calendar.

Congrats to all the Crystal Awards finalists this year!

Last February I attended Mom 2.0 and I am beside myself excited to be packing my bags for NOLA this week to attend for the second time. I’m even more excited because this year I’ve got the company of other moms and marketers in my circle. I haven’t shut up about the event since last year… In fact, telling stories of Mom 2.0 2010 is directly related to a project we just completed and unveiled last week.

A month or so ago , we were talking to our dear friend, coach and client Bambi McCullough about the plans she had in store for the Greater Houston Conference for Women on April 6. As Co-Chair of the event, Bambi was seeking ideas and panelist participants and making plans for “A Conference Focused on Engagement and Action.”

Immediately, my experience at Mom 2.0 came to mind. The two-day event kicked off with a video by Katherine Center. The video gave me a mindset to hold with me as I went about my time at the conference.  In viewing the piece, I became engaged and invested in the day rather than just an attendee in a seat. It primed me for what I was about to experience. Moreover, it’s made the experience last more than a year now. I’ve revisited the piece more than a handful of times.

Something about the combination of words and imagery in a video format is especially inspiring. It’s a great way to set the stage at an event. Start off slow, build up to a main point… make the audience think… give them imagery to remember the words by…. Whether it be a corporate sales meeting, educational conference or presentation, kicking off with a video can create energy and excitement. It can set a standard and get the wheels in motion for the experience yet to come.

I was standing on a soap box preaching this philosophy to Bambi when it came to me… and without thinking about how or with what time we would get it done, I volunteered our team  to create a piece for the Greater Houston Conference for Women.

I am driven by a desire to inspire. And here was an opportunity to inspire an anticipated 1,000 women in one room. Here was an opportunity to set the stage for engagement and action. The project became a labor of love. With the help of amazing friends and colleagues, who showed “ginormous” generosity with their time and skills, we collaborated to create a script and accompanying slide show.

We simply could not have pulled off the piece without the professional production assistance of Heather Sasser at Pat Lee at Atgnat. We owe a VERY special thanks to Sandy Lankford who took her camera out and shot specifically for this script. And of course, a debt of gratitude goes to everyone who contributed ideas and imagery including: Karen Kershner, Christi Minter, Cara Matocha, Ryan Slack, Jocelyn Sexton and Erika Waters.

Last but not least, special congratulations go out to my CP peeps for a great day at the event! Karen Kershner contributed expertise from her workshop with the same name on a panel about the characteristics of high powered professional salespeople. And Erika Waters masterfully moderated a panel on breaking down the barriers between generations in the workplace. Way to go you two!

When I went to view the video today, it had almost 6,500,000 views. A monkey riding a pig has caused a viral movement across the internet. So has the VW Vader spot. And Beenerkeekee (and no, that isn’t a type-o). These are all very different types of videos. Yet you’ve likely seen them all. So what makes a video viral? And what does viral mean?

Let’s start with the definition. We usually think viral means reaching millions. Which would be awesome! But I don’t think you have to reach millions to have a viral video. Viral, I think, means catching on quickly, and BEYOND your “typical” target audience.

The obvious answer about what makes a video viral is that the video must be worth talking about and appeal to an audience. But this is actually a complicated answer because who is to say what is worth talking about? People are different, right? And what is appealing? And who is the audience?

You’ve heard Communications Plus say before that there is not much more important in marketing than really knowing your audience.  The funny thing is when it comes to the internet, you have to think more globally about who your audience is. Normal demographics don’t always fit who is viewing your spots because you can’t control who is viewing your spots. Content is shared online. Everything you post (Twitter, Facebook, blogs, videos, etc) has the ability to go viral. That’s the beauty of the internet and social media. However, because content is shared with audiences that you didn’t necessarily mean to target, the challenge today becomes finding a way to make your content relevant to ANYONE and EVERYONE.

I’m not saying to scrap your demographic research. We’ve become data junkies! And certainly keep your target in mind. But I think that as marketers we must broaden our idea of who our brand’s community is. Your core demographic may be soccer moms in Houston. But through the power of the internet, Houston moms may be sharing your content with sisters in Boston or friends in LA who may continue to pass it on and on. There certainly are more than geographical differences between these groups. Wouldn’t it be a shame to lose this captive audience because your content excluded them in some way?

So how do you create content that reaches a larger audience but doesn’t water down the messages sent to your core audience? First, step away from the research. We can get really bogged down with all the information we have at our fingertips. But remember, humans are humans. Whether in your demographic group or not, humans share fundamental concerns, emotions and desires. Who doesn’t want to laugh? Who doesn’t want to be inspired? Who doesn’t want to feel like they belong to something? So as you create content for your specific audience, look for what makes your audience human. Look past the data. If you remember the human factor, you’ll create content that is shared. Easily. Readily. Virally.

In the case of Baby Monkey (and many videos on the internet today) there is no real message behind the content. It’s just there to make us laugh and make us happy. If even for a minute. And looks like there are lots of people out there who share this concern. Maybe the Baby Monkey is on to something.

Here are a couple of my favorite online videos. You’ll see that these were created for a specific audience, but because they appeal to the human in all of us, these videos have gone viral.

+Works (pronounced Positive Works) is a Houston-based, non-profit organization created by two moms who believe it’s imperative we look closely at America’s bullying epidemic, examine how we got here and take action toward change with positivity.

Through work with communities and schools, this initiative, which began less than a year ago, has quickly grown legs and is off and running. The program incorporates the marketing tenant of visibility by encouraging positive families and schools to post positive messages/graphics where they will be seen and serve as constant reminders of the power of positive talk. They offer graphic reminders for dinner tables, computers, cars, playgrounds and classrooms.  The graphics are easy to recognize and powerful in their simplicity. The materials also encourage word of mouth marketing by impressing the importance of sharing the philosophy of the program with friends, family and the community.

With close to 5,000 students participating (and a growing list of interested schools), hundreds of families enrolled, and the backing of the renowned Dr. Stuart W. Twemlow – founders Sarah Fisher and Trish Morille are proof positive (I love a pun) that passion and heart can impact marketing success as much as, if not more than, a big budget.

I have been inspired by +Works as both a mother and a marketer. Without a doubt, this initiative is doing important work in a day and age when news headlines too often report the devastating impact of bullying. As a mom, I am hopeful I can somehow protect my kids from bullying, but I know better. So, I embrace the teachings of the program which help us understand the roles of the bully, the bullied and the bystander. I am empowered by the philosophy of positivity and the actionable suggestions for creating positive environments at home, in the car, at school, on the computer and so on.

Switching hats and playing the marketer in observation of what +Works is doing, I applaud the organization’s founders for their savvy, clean and simple execution and passion (which shows at every turn). I believe it’s this tri-fecta that has sparked the wildfire spread their message is enjoying.

For details on each of the amazing initiatives of +Works and The Race to Nowhere, I encourage you to visit their respective sites to learn more, get involved and spread the word.

If you haven’t seen it, go ahead, add to the number of views on YouTube by clicking here.  Notice what the views are up to. As of this writing it topped 25 million.

The spot is great—the camera angles, the music, the kid and the dimples in his little hands, the glance at the car’s interior and exterior… It has all the elements. Well done, indeed VW. Thank you for doing it well and not overdoing it. So many of the spots last Sunday seemed overdone. All I am saying is there seemed to be more than enough talking animals in the mix.

Simple, clever and well shot wins over special effects in my book. And I am not just saying that because I happen to drive a Passat and we’re hosting a Star Wars birthday party for my son this weekend. It’s true! Oh yes, the message resonates for me. But the creative execution isn’t what made this spot meaningful – even monumental. It’s the rock solid strategy built around it. Beauty and brains. I like to think the creative rationale included some of these points from the outset of the production.

1) The target market grew up on Star Wars. We saw it in the theater as young kids. Within the first few bars of that eerie soundtrack there’s a memory-based mushy thing that happens in our hearts. Touch the target’s heart and your message has legs, wings, a voice… People tell people about things that tug at their heart strings. It’s what we call Head to Toe Marketing here at Communications Plus. This kind of pass along value is why I got the link in an email from my sister that read, “Stop everything and watch this now.” I  later received the link from two more people directly in my inbox and saw it posted by a handful of Facebook friends as well. What about you? Did you see it pregame? How’d it come to you?

2) Not only are the people who love Star Wars fanatically serious about it, but there are TONS of them. They want to share anything Star Wars with anyone who will listen. And so the virus spreads, quickly. Capitalize on a cultural phenomenon and there’s speedy spread to be had. Can you say Twilight? Harry Potter? Angry Birds?

3)  Here’s the pièce de résistance: the super bowl air time was purposed as a PR tool to generate buzz. The real “placement” was online. The spot was released before the super bowl airing. It was viral and according to The Huffington Post, registered more than 12.5 million views on YouTube, 10,000 comments and 62,000 “likes” with four hours still to go until kickoff. And that doesn’t even measure the related chatter on Twitter. All this before the big bucks were spent for 15 seconds of air time during the game.

In case you’re wondering, a 30-second Super Bowl spot is priced at roughly $3 million or $100,000 per second. The :30 second version of the Vader commercial is my preference, but it’s easy to see why they opted to make a shorter version to air.  

Point is, “unleashing the virus” online (FOR FREE) is a smart way to make the most of a super-pricey media buy. Morevoer, having it present online allows continued viewership rather than fleeting.  Searc it on Google right now and you can witness the SEM campaign at work. Beautiful! All bases covered. Tracking mechanisms in place.  Makes me purrrrrrrrr like a VW bug.

Once upon a time, Super Bowl spots were sold on the idea that the entire country would tune in. These days, impact isn’t measured by how many people were watching the Super Bowl. The impact of this spot lies within the story I am writing now, the appearance by the little boy who played Vader on the Today Show, and of course the hit count.

And here’s the real moral to the story. Listen up. Slow down. Stop. Apply this kind of thinking and planning to whatever you’re doing with your small, medium, large or extra large budget and brand. The payoff is well worth it. You don’t have to be VW to go viral. That is what’s so exciting about marketing today. Viral is a possibility and it transforms even the smallest organizations into influential giants. Know the target, touch their heart, position the message well and execute. The rest could be history.

The principle of dating your spouse after you’re married applies directly to service providers. While we are trying to win new accounts or clients, we put our best clothes on, eat at the best restaurants and pay more attention to details. We are wooing one another and being our best selves. Then we get married (or win the account) and we begin getting comfortable and stop finding ways to impress.

Let’s face it. Your business lives and dies on client relationships. So while it’s smart to be looking for the next big thing, it’s smarter to keep dating the clients you have. Now you must know that I am in no way advocating that you actually go on a date with a client. (In fact, I’m sure your company even has a policy against that.) I simply use the term “date” to mean keep the same interest and attention on your client as you had before the account was won.

Not convinced? I did a quick search for “date your spouse” and found a list of the top 10 reasons to date your spouse. The parallels are easily seen but I’ve taken the liberty of making some modifications. Read the list, then go forth and “date!”

Top 10 Reasons to “Date” Your Client

1. Client Relationships are Dynamic.
They are alive and always changing. You must keep up with and feed the change to keep the relationship alive.

2. There is always something new about your client.
Dating creates the platform for your client to keep you in the loop with “what’s new” and what upcoming opportunities might be on their horizon, thus yours.

3. Invest in the future.
Just like a savings account–it is easier to add a little to an existing account and watch it grow than to start a new one from scratch. That’s because the interest grows exponentially over time. Same for your clients. Happy clients allow you to grow with them. It’s more profitable for both of you, than having to start over.

4. You Got the Client Because You Dated!
It only stands to reason that a good way to keep the client is to keep dating.

5. Client Relationships Can Be Compared to a Set of Tires.
During the course of driving, there is always wear and tear. Dating your clients serves to maintain alignment, balance and pressure. When done well, your client relationship will last a lifetime.

6. Dating is an Opportunity to Focus.
Day in and day out, distractions pull your attention away from providing great customer service. Dates help refocus on the client’s needs.

7. Remember the Good Times!
Creating good memories by doing things together such as attending industry events or sharing a great dinner will keep your client looking forward to your next meeting, even if it’s in a board room and not a banquet hall.

8. Create Your Future.
Dates lay the framework for the future. Great and original dates and ideas attract your clients to working with you.

9. Laughter is the Best Medicine.
There is bound to be a rough patch in any client relationship. We all experience them. Having a positive history to fall back on will allow you to work through rough times without losing the client account.

10. Remind Your Client, “I Love You!”
So maybe you don’t say “I love you.” But make sure your clients know that you appreciate them. An appreciated client is more likely to continue working with you than a client who feels taken advantage of.

That said, I will admit, he had me scratching my head for a moment there. One slide said be brief. Two slides later, he suggested writing “long and definitive posts.” One slide said no advertising. Exactly three slides later, he suggests “running tons of relevant ads.” He recommends weekday posts when the audience is larger. Not the very next slide but just one after that he says, “post on weekends, because there are fewer new posts.”

A-ha! It wasn’t long before I stopped scratching and started nodding my head. Got it! And I concur.  What a clever delivery, Mr. Godin, of a critical message. Unspoken but coming through loud and clear between contradictory slides is the truth. There are no universal rules for success in blogging (or marketing for that matter). What’s right for you, could be wrong for the next guy or gal. Your strategy is yours. Theirs is theirs.

Plain and simple. There is no rulebook. There are, however, fundamental truths and this is one of them. The best approach to blogging or any other form of marketing communications is thoughtful, personalized and tailored to your audience. There is no substitute for good thinking rooted in a critical understanding of your target, how they think and why they do what they do. This is how we’ve approached our work at Communications Plus for years. Clever alone doesn’t cut it. Success stories are built on strong strategies.

There is old school thinking that’s irrelevant in today’s marketing environment. But even in the blogosphere, there are bits and bytes of Marketing 101 that reign. Strategy is one of them.

What about your company or your brand? This is a great time to determine things you’d like to achieve this year and make a plan to go for it. I know you’re thinking, “she’s going to tell me to plan a team meeting to discuss this.” You’re right! And then you’re thinking, “Yeah, yeah, yeah. ANOTHER meeting.”  I totally get it. Another meeting is probably the last thing you want on your agenda. You may have even resolved to not have so many meetings. But this is a crucial meeting to have with your company and here are some ideas to help. (Note: I wrote this article with agencies in mind, but the concepts work in any industry and any company size.)

1. Make it different.
Have the goal setting meeting  in a different location, at a different time of day…maybe even off-site. Bring in some cocktails if it helps your team think. I have found that the best brainstorming happens in the most relaxing atmospheres. At the CP Playground, that is often on our plush couches or in our “noodle” room that is stocked with plenty of dry-erase markers and squishy toys to play with. Including wine never hurt anything either. Set the tone by picking someplace where your team is at ease. It will keep the creative juices flowing longer.

2. Create from the future.
Huh? That is exactly what I said the first time that phrase was used on me. It sounds bizarre, but really is an easy concept to grasp. When planning where you want to be at the end of 2011, start the conversation as if the calendar read December 31, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. Then say all the things you accomplished during the year 2011. For example, you may say, “business increased 20% over 2010.” Or “we are now the agency of record for XYZ client.” Or, “we are known in the industry as THE place to work.”

There is great power in stating things as if they are already are. The inspiration that comes from these types of conversations is almost addicting. And one of the biggest benefits is that creating form the future can keep the team from wallowing in the past and pointing out all the things that didn’t go right. For some reason, our natural, human tendency is to want to go to the Dark Side. So cross on over, start from the positive and you’ll be amazed at where the conversation takes you.

Remember, there is no wrong answer. NOTHING is off limits. One team member might want to become the most sought after creative director. One might want more internal recognition. Remember, personal goals are part of the bigger picture of what makes your brand unique and authentic.

Create a record of the brainstorm. At the Playground we use a floor-to-ceiling dry erase wall to capture everything. I also like using jumbo sticky notes to storyboard conversations. Wherever you keep it, the record becomes your reference for the rest of the year. A measuring stick if you will. If you know what it is you want, then when you’re making decisions for the company, you can always look to see if that decision will help you achieve your goals. If not, then it might not be the right decision to make.

3. Plan the attack.
If your company is anything like mine, when you have a brainstorming session you are all over the map. It’s OK. In fact, I love it! It helps keep us well-rounded and looking at different perspectives and ideas. But when the brainstorm is over, someone is usually asking, “Now how do we accomplish all of this?”

Depending on the size of ther company, you may put your team into sub-teams responsible for different goals. If one goal is to generate more business, then a business development team will be responsible for creating a plan for the ENTIRE team to fulfill on. If you’re a small company like CP, you may designate responsibility to individual team members. Or, choose an order to tackle your goals and create a plan to do so.

No matter what your strategy looks like, remember to create milestones to measure success along the way. Some goals may be big and lofty and take the whole year, plus, to achieve them. Others might be accomplished in a week. Assigning a milestone/completion date creates accountability among the team to ensure everyone is staying on track and doing what they say they will.

4. CELEBRATE!
Next to creating a vision, celebration is my favorite part. But don’t just celebrate on December 31, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. Celebrate at each milestone and accomplishment along the way. And don’t have a trite celebration because it will diminish the achievement and it’s not something to look forward to. Make it unique, make it fun, make it big in its own way. Celebrating successes is something many companies don’t take enough time to do. A little acknowledgement goes a long way.

So there you go. It’s that easy. Ok, so maybe not easy. But fun and exciting. (And I REALLY mean it when I use those words!) So got for it. Make it happen this year. Create a future for your company that everyone wants to be part of, and that will be enough inspiration to keep you fueled up all year.

We were in a meeting yesterday when the discussion turned to the fact that great things are most certainly in store for 2011. When times have been tough, marketing is its most influential. Success stories are their most powerful. What’s more, some of the best and brightest ideas are born from hardship. Necessity is the mother of invention—or reinvention. Ya’ll, the chocolate chip cookie, among some other great things, was invented during the Great Depression!

We all know some folks who faced the reality of the down economy in the last year. But this year… this year is a blank canvas. I think it’s safe to say on behalf of us all, we’re ready to paint the town (purple of course). Sometimes the horizon seems distant. Not in January. In January, it’s like a lure pulling you closer to new opportunities and ideas. So what do you want to invent for 2011?