Listening to 99% Invisible podcast with the wonderfully engaging Roman Mars I was intrigued by the story that was told about the gambling industry.....how they moved from one line on their slot machines to 3 lines....to encourage further play. Seeing how they 'almost won' encouraged them to try again...Now forget the right and wrongs of gambling it made me think about social media and how social marketing follows a similar marketing plan. Using social media is like that stray top line lemon.....it is an encouragement that the more they engage with your content marketing, the more they will want to... Continue reading

This weeks Engaging Brand podcast saw me talking with the wonderful Jay Baer who discussed with me the 'Baer necessities' of smart marketing. I know how listeners love it when Bob put's pen to paper and captures the essence of the podcast interviews so here is a Bob-o-graphic on the elements of smart marketing - and what makes content marketing useful. Continue reading

The Engaging Brand podcast covering social marketing, business ideas and brand marketing tips has a new episode but first... The listener winning an Engaging Brand goodie bag - picked from all the people who share, like, tweet about the show to say a BIG thank you from me! - is Christina Lattimer who wins some Harvard Business Gifts as well! Anna Farmery discusses with Jay Baer - "a hype-free social media and marketing keynote speaker, author, and consultant" about how social marketing is all about Youtility the concept that Smart Marketing is About Help not Hype Stop trying to be... Continue reading

Remember as a child how you asked "But why?" and how as we grow up and learn that it can irritate people we change to "What do you want to do?"So for this weeks Bab's Booster we explore the power of why and how it creates both personal growth and brand engagement The fact that we change our words doesn't mean that we change our feelings....the why always stays critical to us. If we explain why... we provide the inspiration for the 'how' and the 'what'. If you read any books from prisoners or war survivors then they say it... Continue reading

Over the past couple years there’s been a huge increase in the amount of buzz surrounding certain types digital marketing. Companies are spending more money now on key digital marketing streams than ever before and it’s clear that this is only the beginning. 3 of those key components are as follows... Social Media Marketing For those of you who aren’t familiar with social media, it’s simply a way of sharing, communicating, and networking via specific online outlets. A few examples of these outlets include websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. As a business owner, social media allows you to... Continue reading

The principle of uncertainty seems to automatically assumed to be a business problem, yet uncertainty can create the environment for business opportunities. Uncertainty about economic outlook, uncertainty about marketing trends or consumer confidence can lead to brands defending their position. When we are unsure human nature looks for security and protection. But here is my problem...standing still with business ideas will mean falling behind the market...so defending is actually self defeating. Uncertainty is all around but uncertainty should not mean Stop doing things but maybe doing them differently. Using budget pressure as an opportunity to do things better for less... Continue reading

Your brand story isn't about a just a slogan or message, it is a package of brand elements. Think about the media industry or films which create strong brands in themselves. Think about your favourite 'storylines' on TV or film - they share 5 elements Characters have flaws that make them seem human. Brands can learn from this by showing their human side and not portraying themselves as perfect but as perfectly imperfect! Think about how Friends used the cafe, think about the importance of Southfork in building the Ewing brand (for people as old as I am)....the settings are... Continue reading

Being creative in business can so often be interpreted as artistic skill. Yet being creative is inside all of us, it is not about art...it is about how to approach thinking...an idea that I feel passionate about.... We all have a creative side - be it problem solving, DIY, cooking, interior design...we look for ways in our personal life to make our life better.... We have to shuffle finances, we have to find creative ways to juggle work/life balance...we are constantly facing problems that we have to solve, that we have to find a creative solution. Being creative in business...is... Continue reading

Self awareness is such an important part of being in business. Working on who you are, what you can bring and how you can create value ensures that your personal growth continues. This weeks Engaging Brand podcast looked at how to do this...and how you can create a signature voice with Amy Jen Su. As people enjoy a summary here is this weeks Bob-o-graphic on how to develop those leadership skills. Continue reading

The Engaging Brand podcast covering social marketing, business ideas and brand marketing tips has a new episode but before we start...The listener winning an Engaging Brand goodie bag - picked from all the people who share, like, tweet about the show to say a BIG thank you from me! - is Craig Ross who wins some Harvard Business Gifts as well! Anna Farmery talks with Amy Jen Su, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Isis Associates, has been "an executive coach for almost a decade on areas of leadership presence and executive endurance" We talk about how to develop your signature... Continue reading

On a gorgeous sunny day like this, there is nothing I enjoy more than a walk in the countryside. I love the countryside, I love the calm....after a business week of work, meetings, travelling etc A walk allows you to talk, discuss life and take a timeout from your busy life. It gives you space to think about your life, your career, your business - to think about your own personal growth. Saturday is when I post a 'Bab's Booster' to get you thinking about life, to inspire personal growth. It got me thinking why do I blog, why do... Continue reading

Emotion in business is often seen as a bad thing. However emotion is what creates the need to buy, the desire to innovate, how we are motivated to work for our boss etc etc The word emotion hides the key.....it gives motion to something - a business idea, a marketing plan, a purchasing decision. Another part of emotion often neglected is that it is a great learning tool. No emotion eg apathy is a sign that your offer is not strong enough. Positive emotion shows that a brand stands for something or stands against something - it gives people a... Continue reading

This product solves this problem. In a sense this is the simplistic ethos of marketing. However I believe this focus can lead business to lose it's true creative power. For me top brands, business, marketing is about making problems not solving problems. Sound counter-intuitive? Maybe.... But one great attribute of Steve Jobs which is often neglected, was making a problem NOT solving problems for the consumer. I was always a PC/Windows user...but he made it more and more difficult for me NOT to be an Apple consumer. I wanted an iPod, that meant I needed iTunes....that eventually meant I just... Continue reading

Brands are not based on style they are based on substance. Branding can be seen as a visual selling tool....but it isn't....it must be a reflection of the substance. If all there is to your brand is artwork then you are in trouble! A successful brand has substance and in a social marketing world that is even more critical as that substance is tested and challenged with customers having a global voice. I see companies discussing the visual side of branding with everyone having an opinion - however how many discussions do you have on the substance? Do you test... Continue reading

On this week's Engaging Brand podcast I interviewed John Butman about how to become an idea entrepreneur. We talked about the three stages of developing an idea from an initial personal passion...into an entrepreneurial career which changes how the world thinks....no mean feat! With social marketing and the emergence of the digital economy, the ability to share ideas and 'change the world' has become easier...but only if the idea resonates with an audience! Listener feedback is that a little 'Bob-o-grapic' summarising the interviews helps to keep the idea alive - so I asked 'Bob' and here is his take on... Continue reading

Business management I always think falls generally into three approaches. Staying at the back - As a business grows it is easy to become so absorbed with your competitor's that you forget what your strengths are, who are your customers and what is happening in the marketplace. There is a greater focus on internal meetings, internal conversations..... Back Straight Sprinters - Look at who dominates search...not the original leader but an upstart called Google who saw the strengths, added something extra and sprinted through...In these businesses they are looking at the existing marketplace for business ideas, business opportunities that can... Continue reading

The Engaging Brand podcast covering social marketing, business ideas and brand marketing tips has a new episode but before we start...The listener winning an Engaging Brand goodie bag - picked from all the people who share, like, tweet about the show to say a BIG thank you from me! - is Alex Hall who wins some Harvard Business Gifts as well! Anna Farmery talks with John Butman of Idea Platforms about Breaking Out and How to be an Idea Entrepreneur. What is an idea entrepreneur? Is idea entrepreneurship a growth phenomena of the digital economy or has it always been... Continue reading

Personal growth is like any growth in nature. It needs to be fed, watered, nurtured and protected. Social media is a wonderful tool, almost like a greenhouse for the seeds of your career. Dad used to say to me "You get the life that you deserve. Life is the reality we create for ourselves. So each day plant the seeds of your legacy - give, share, respect and learn" Social media is more than just technology, it is a way of sharing, giving, respecting and learning. It is a way of creating a legacy to be proud of.... You don't... Continue reading

Blogging is something I love...why? Because it makes me think about business, life and trends happening around me. Blogging is often seen as a mechanic for SEO and yes great content marketing helps people find you...BUT blogging is so much more than that... Creating a blog, writing a blog post is about thinking...it is a service that you provide to your ideas. Ideas need to breathe, ideas need you to be a parent and to look after them until they mature. For me, my blog does that parenting role for ideas in business. It allows the ideas to form, it... Continue reading

The digital economy needs a different kind of business leader - not in terms of core principles of human values but in terms of skills which make the most of a connected age. Collaborative - in a connected economy the traditional approach to leadership has to change from command/control to collaborate/decide. It is not about deciding by committee, it is about listening, asking, working with people, valuing people. Filtering - The digital age is wonderful but it can be overwhelming - now more than ever leadership and management is about consuming all the information and being able to filter out... Continue reading

Milton Glaser is my favourite designer, I love the way his design ideas are conveyed with such simplicity. I was struck by a story about when Milton Glaser was sixteen and him he deciding to draw a portrait of his mother. “I was just sitting in front of her one night and I thought it would be fun to sketch her face,” he says. “So I got out a piece of paper and a charcoal pencil. And you know what I realized? I realized I hadn’t the faintest idea what she looked like." The reason it struck a chord was... Continue reading

We live in an era of sharing. We live in a networking world in which ideas, knowledge are your career currency. That phrase makes it sound as though sharing is a new human skill and yet our whole survival, our whole evolution has been about sharing..... So what is new to make it an era for sharing? In the past we shared with close relatives, family, friends....now that sharing has extended past our immediate contacts. Sharing is an integral part of your personal growth and career success. Sharing is part of all we do in business....whether it be leadership, management,... Continue reading

The Engaging Brand podcast covering social marketing, business ideas and brand marketing tips has a new episode but before we start...The listener winning an Engaging Brand goodie bag - picked from all the people who share, like, tweet about the show to say a BIG thank you from me! - is Linda Johannesson from Australia who wins some Harvard Business Gifts as well! Anna Farmery talks with Rachael Taplin from Blueboo - an online PR academy which teaches you the inside secrets of getting on TV, radio and in the press. Rachael is also offering a special giveaway to listeners... Continue reading