June 10th, 2011 → 12:57 pm @ The Brand Chef // One Comment
It’s not for a lack of information. It’s not for a lack of inspiration. It just falls on that blank page! It’s too intimidating. It’s too… blank; so your mind goes blank.
In attempts to alleviate that, I’ve coached my clients to keep a journal, either digitally in EverNote, or the “Old fashioned way” in a notebook, of ideas, snippets, quips or even a doodle that would later inspire a blog post (and I’ve changed “blog post” to “article” for most clients – that’s a different story).
Yet, when I come in each morning, I have an empty feed reader or empty inbox for many of them. GRRRRRRRR!
So, this morning, I reactivated an idea that I had about a year ago when I started working with CreateWOWmarketing.
Sure, it’s not rocket science, but with a little testing, I found that the return time for posts is almost instantaneous. I gave three clients my call-in post line and within :30 minutes, I had all three recorded and ready to go live. Shortly after I gave the number to one client, they called my office line and said,
Holy *@T@, that was so easy! You can just take that and post it to our site?!?
THEN, he took my idea one step further…
Let’s schedule a regular morning call in session! I can conference in my Tempe office and call the POST LINE and have a 3-minute interview!
That was THEIR idea. Not mine… 
Well, there are a lot of internet phone services out there, but this particular time, I set it up on a Google Voice number I’d reserved when starting CreateWOWmarketing.
It’s free. It’s simple. It notifies me in my email of new messages…
Here is a test call-in post from Deb Brown (http://needalittleadvice.com) – @DebWorks on Twitter.
And the audio (click to play): debbrown
Here is a test call-in post from Chris Sieberling from ETC Graphics (http://www.etcgraphics.com) – @ChrisWithETC on Twitter.
And the audio (click to play): chrissieberling
Here is a test call-in post from Brent Williams (http://1BrentWilliams.wordpress.com) – @1BrentWilliams on Twitter.
And the audio (click to play): brentwilliams
Now, the transcription of the Google Voice isn’t great (as you can see above), actually sometimes they can be pretty darn funny. But with the advantage to have an audio file to include on the page is PRICELESS!
Blog &CreateWOW News &Education and Training &Social Media Marketing
April 8th, 2011 → 8:30 am @ The Brand Chef // No Comments
ALL good things, right?
If you have a desire to join a nimble, progressive marketing and communications company with a drive to change how companies use media, then I want to hear from you.
CreateWOWmarketing, LLC has brought on a handful of new clients that will require talent and support from:
And while I want to “Do It ALL,” I just can’t…
I’M not looking for just anyone. The people that are brought into the CreateWOW culture will need to be inspired by creativity and driven to create WOW for our clients using traditional and emerging marketing tactics.
These positions are to be considered “Internships” until the candidate has proven him / herself in the job.
Don’t throw your resume at me and expect a call. Connect with me on a unique, engaging and relevant level to the position YOU hope to fill. And for God’s sake, be Truthful.
I want the team to reflect CreateWOW. I want the team to GROW CreateWOW.
So, there you have it. The proverbial ball is in your court.
And for ever and always…
KEEP COOKING!
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef
p: 515.257.MKTG
(515.257.6584)
Fx: 866.257.0961
e-mail:
Andrew@createWOWmarketing.com
thebrandchef@gmail.com
Another Web site:
http://www.thebrandchef.com
Feelin’ Social?
Twitter: @TheBrandChef
Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/in/AndrewBClark
FriendFeed: http://friendfeed.com/thebrandchef
January 22nd, 2011 → 5:30 pm @ The Brand Chef // 5 Comments
I just finished Daniel Pink’s “A Whole New Mind” after about 2 months of trying to “get my read on” (it takes discipline… go figure). With the holidays and starting my own business (CreateWOW), I was having troubles committing the time I needed to sit down and focus on reading and figuratively feed the monster that Michael Wagner awoke 7 years ago with “Orbiting The Giant Hairball.”
ANYWAY… Pink’s book inspired me. Not simply because he says right brainers (the more empathetic, creative and “Big Picture”- type people) are destined to run the show; it proved to me the track I have been on for the last 20 years hasn’t been for not. Repeatedly, I was told to “get my head out of the clouds,” and “get a secure paying job that you can simply do day-in and day-out… never mind the love of what you do.” (yes, I had some pretty optimistic folks around me back then.) Yet, the right brain in me prevailed… And according to “A Whole New Mind” I didn’t have a choice.
I planned on doing a book review on it for the CreateWOWmarketing blog, but found this video post by Elaine Fogel that did it one better (she interviewed Pink, himself).
So here you are. A Whole New Mind in six minutes (took me 2 months…)
Thank you again to Daniel Pink, Elaine Fogel and Mike Wagner for keeping the monster fed and constantly encouraging others to create and make the world a better place for us to live and do business.
Be watching for a new program being developed by The Brand Chef and CreateWOW to further encourage reading and fostering creativity! (Yes, that’s how much these books did for me… 
Keep Cooking! (or you’re going to starve)
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef
November 16th, 2010 → 1:30 pm @ The Brand Chef // One Comment
They were once a prospect…. then a lead… then a presentation opportunity… Then… well, you know the routine. But now that you’ve landed this whale (for lack of a better term), what happens? You’ve finally contracted with this client. Does the attention to this particular fish scale back (no pun intended). Is it all about the conquest? Is the honeymoon over?
Well, I’m here to tell you, it better not stop there.
Continued customer engagement is key to your business’ sustainability – the key to your success – and honestly should be the easiest part of your job. Or would you rather go out and make cold calls and play the dog-n-pony for new leads every day?
1. Realize your engagement starts on day one.
If it’s a cold call, if your business model involves lead generation, customer engagement begins with your handling of that lead. Set the tone of the entire relationship as soon as they pick up the phone.
2. Start at the beginning.
TRUE branding engagement gets the biggest return by starting with the Truth. You can’t define your customer’s unique positioning statement until you’ve dated for a while. So slow down and learn. And let THEM learn about (and from) you.
3. Make it easy to be your customer.
Does your business card have your cell phone number on it? If you don’t want to go that far, does it have a number on it where an actual HUMAN answers… maybe even you? Break the barriers you set up to ward off telemarketers and spammers. Your customers don’t want to feel like they’re not part of your culture.
4. All customers (new or old) are created equal.
Sure, a whale gets more attention than a guppy, but keep that fact in the ledger only. Support, lines of communication, and reaction need to be consistent across all levels. Think of it this way… Do you have a favorite child?
5. Personalize and customize.
In another lifetime, I was a kick-ass waiter for a national restaurant chain. I knew, by instinct, that if I knew the customer’s name, their drink preferences, even where they like to sit, that my engagement would improve their experience while at the restaurant (not my flair). Results? Return customers. MUCH better tips. More promotional opportunities.
6. Know the difference between New and “Well seasoned” customers.
New customers have different needs and expectations than those you’ve had for years (even months). Do your research to understand and respond to these differences.
7. Ask.
Most people want to be heard. If they’re like a lot of our customers, they’ll make sure they’re heard… are you there to listen? They like being asked. The act of surveying your customers makes them understand you care. When you report the results of the survey back to them, that’s a double confirmation of your engagement.
8. Show a little appreciation.
If a customer has shown you loyalty, how do you reciprocate? It can be as simple as a Friday afternoon lunch on the company. Or it could be going beyond stipulated expectations – at no extra cost to them. “Can you see how much we appreciate you?” Isn’t always a bad question to ask (yourself).
9. Give ‘em a little buy-in option.
Build a customer panel or advisory board, and invite your customers to join. You’ll be surprised by how many want to participate, share, refer, and engage more as a result of their one-on-some participation. If you listen and act on what they have to say, that not only builds their loyalty, but also makes them more willing to reach out to prospects.
10. Use their network.
If a customer provides a referral, that’s like saying “These guys did good by me. You should use ‘em too.” And it’s a sure testimonial of an engaged customer to give a referral. Most customers feel better about the value of your brand when they refer you to people like themselves.
Simple customer engagement should be a daily routine – above lead generation, above self-promotion, and above working “On” the company. If you incorporate these 10 simple tips, you’ll see a great improvement in return engagement from your customers, thus making the rest of it seem easier.
Until next time…
Keep Cooking!
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef
Blog &Brand Marketing &Interactive Media &Social Media Marketing
November 3rd, 2010 → 10:51 am @ The Brand Chef // One Comment
Okay, this set of five questions starts with one MAJOR discovery question:
“How successful is your website at accomplishing the goals you have for your marketing?”
If you don’t know the answer, it may be because you haven’t set goals properly. And in return, you have no idea how to track its success.
Do you know what the purpose of your site is? What are the benefits for you and your business?
Here are five simple questions you can ask pertaining to your interactive marketing (specifically your website). The summaries that follow can be built into your overall marketing strategy as well.
They’re simple questions, but many of which I doubt are being asked. How can you make your website a more powerful marketing tool for your company?
Food for thought.
Keep Cooking (the right questions to move your company in the right direction.)
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef
October 19th, 2010 → 12:32 pm @ The Brand Chef // No Comments
Have you ever seen a great NFL quarterback run to the sidelines and look into the playbook? Neither have I… So why is it that so many marketers out there are generating rote, boring plans for their clients based on “plays” they learned back in the bush leagues?
The traditional approach to marketing is too linear for today’s world. Today’s target audience is constantly moving, growing and learning new technologies. But much of the marketing we see today is still formulaic and trite, as if someone in 1976 created “The Playbook For Successful Marketing” and it’s been dogmatically followed ever since? Cold. Unfeeling. Corporate.
Dogmatic playbook-marketing isn’t viable any longer. The game has changed. Sure, marketing can follow a plan / structure. Marketing can (should) have strategy. But if you think the formulaic mindset you (they) used in 1976 (or earlier for you MadMen fans) will work, you’re going to fail abjectly!
The playbooks are outdated. The systems set forth by or mentors, while still brilliant, are tired. And they (dare I say it?) are singular-minded, focusing on agency award hardware… not the client nor its community. The days of super-star agency quarterbacks in the big, Manhattan corner office are over!
Stop and look around your office (if you have one). There’s value there, you just have to see it. The biggest asset you’ll find are the actual human beings that work WITH you!
Here’s a note for our “Super-Star” marketing quarterbacks:
That’s what I like about social media. Adding social media to marketing has taken the ritualistic, dogma of “old school” and turned it on its ear. It allows fresh minds, the “rebels” of the community to work organically on the sidelines, changing the plays and calling options as they see the defense set up. Sure, the goal is the same – get the client’s product or service noticed and to generate actions or a purchase.
I’ll say it again. Our job is to, “… get the client’s product or service noticed and to generate actions or a purchase.”
That’s IT. No more. No less.
When a client brings their product or service to you, the first thing that happens to you and your team is you form an EMOTIONAL response or “Feeling” about it. Immediately, that elicits a LOGICAL action plan on how to deal with it.
STOP THERE!
Don’t pick up the “1976 Playbook For Successful Marketing.” Because I guarantee, if the client hasn’t heard the rhetoric yet, the marketplace has and you’re going to get sacked. You need to out-think the defense! Create marketing that makes people say “WOW!!” (Or something similar).
Be quicker. Be original. Be passionate. Call the option. Use a flea-flicker or the hail-Mary pass from time-to-time. It may be unexpected, but THAT’s what people respond to.
Have you seen marketing that’s disregarded all the traditional plays and succeeded? I have.
Do you have a client that needs a passionate, community-driven plan instead of the same old rhetoric? Create even a little “WOW” and they’ll see the end-zone.
Until the next huddle…
Keep Cooking (silly sports metaphors for everything),
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef
September 29th, 2010 → 10:38 am @ The Brand Chef // No Comments
Create page depth. Use “these” keywords and SEO-friendly content. Blog… Blog… Blog… Post… Post… Post…
I sat in a client’s office earlier this week chanting the same words that I’ve been chanting for the last three years. And then, as if I was on autopilot, I detached myself and heard myself say…
“Strategic social media marketing isn’t so much having the social media tools, but knowing where and when to use them to support your brand and your targeted market.”
Oh my God, did I really say that out loud? I sound like I just read it out of a book…
Then the phone rang — saved by the bell (okay ping or buzz… what phone rings these days?)
Out of minor frustration, I encouraged my client to go ahead and take the call while I gathered my thoughts for the next round of “consulting.” I wrote down the statement as I’d said above.
It had impact, but I wasn’t sure how to stretch it into a learning opportunity for my client.
***
As I wrote, I listened to my client talking to his caller. The caller was in trouble, and she called HIM to save the day.
He counseled her through the issues facing her. He asked open-ended questions. He answered calmly, logically and with concern for her well-being. While the conversation took all of 2 minutes, my client discovered a need, defined a solution and secured a client’s trust. All in 2 minutes!
It was PERFECT!
When he got off the phone, I’d already put my pen down and closed my notes.
“How did that go?” I asked.
“Oh, jeez…” he started to vent, “…that happens every day. I get clients calling in, not quite understanding how to do this.”
“Sounds challenging, what else?” I asked.
“Well it’s all pretty simple, but…” and he stopped.
“But what?” I asked.
“Well, it’s just that I’ve been doing this for 10 years and it’s easier to just call me and…” and then he stopped as if he was hit by a bus… “That phone call is a f&%kn’ blog post!”
I leaned back in my chair and smiled. “Now you see it.”
***
In the last three days, I’ve received notification of five new posts on this client’s site. He’s using his daily customer service calls as case studies. He documents the need. He creates a logical understanding of the solution and then closes with the reader better understanding the challenges that face them. And (ironically) HE is the solution.
It’s perfect.
What perfectly blogable moments do you have today? Try to be more aware of them and use them to build your brand. Your knowledge base is unique and valuable. Share it with those that need it.
Keep Cooking,
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef
August 30th, 2010 → 11:40 am @ The Brand Chef // One Comment
Companies are diving into social media with a vengeance. It’s like they saw the boat in the port for months (years?) and just bought tickets and boarded when they saw the mooring lines being cast off. WHY?
Tracking! Everyone is out there selling the tools and the “engagement,” but no one is talking about how to measure success. We constantly hear “…what about the ROI of social media?” Well, listen up.
Determining the ROI of social media marketing and your efforts through your blog/website is imperative. Too many sites have the tools installed for great engagement, but how do you know if they’re working? Is anyone listening? Is anyone interested? What’s the point?
In other words, how can you TRACK THE ROI?
One easy way to track the ROI of your social media marketing and other communication efforts is to create a landing page specific to each campaign.
Example:
If you have a Twitter campaign with the intention of pushing people to the “order now” page on your website, how do you know it’s working, besides some pretty in-depth digging into your analytics? And how do you know sales are actually being made from THAT Twitter campaign? It’s often a guessing game.
Consider this:
If the link you send out lands your prospects on a specific landing page, then you’ll know for certain that the Twitter campaign resulted (or didn’t result) conversions.
Below is a screen shot of our landing page that those signing up for our newsletter (see sidebar for sign-up) see once they complete the sign-up process. As you can see, for the one day we tested this campaign, we received 8 page hits and 4 were confirmed subscribers from the form. SIMPLE!
You can apply the landing page technique in a number of mediums. Have a landing page for a direct mail campaign! Create a landing page for a radio campaign! Drive traffic to a landing page for a speaking event where you thank them for downloading your white paper (that you only mentioned at the event).
The measure of a successful marketing campaign is in the conversions. With landing pages, it’s easy, economical and trackable.
How are you tracking conversions for your social media marketing campaigns? Are you?
Don’t jump on the boat like Leonardo DiCaprio just to be lost in the icy waters of social media marketing.
Food for thought…
Keep Cooking,
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef
August 26th, 2010 → 8:59 am @ The Brand Chef // 4 Comments
PRESS RELEASE:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DES MOINES, IOWA – AUGUST 26, 2010
Andrew B. Clark,“The Brand Chef,” and Doug Mitchell “Chief Brand Amplifier” from createWOWmedia, have formed a new company called createWOWmarketing, LLC to deliver complete online and offline marketing strategy and execution.
Clark’s 18 years in marketing communication, brand development, graphic design, interactive strategy and production is a logical fit to Mitchell’s’ results oriented interactive marketing strategy and Internet findability model.
Mitchells’ createWOWmedia brand and client base are being absorbed into createWOWmarketing where he will continue as strategist and consultant to the current and future client base.
“Doug and I have been so like-minded when it comes to interactive marketing strategies and execution that a merger was inevitable,” Clark said. “With createWOWmedia’s proven ROI model and robust client base and my interactive development and brand marketing background, the new company will have the resources to execute effective integrated marketing through traditional and interactive mediums.”
The new company will transition its branding and introduce its new offerings over the next few months.
The long term process of developing organic, online findability, i.e. top results for unpaid keyword searches then conversion of those searches into leads and sales, continues to challenge business owners who don’t have the time nor resources to execute. “createWOWmedia has worked closely with SMB’s who typically don’t have a full compliment of in-house resources to execute a comprehensive marketing strategy,” says Mitchell. “As more companies InSource their traditional and new media marketing needs, they look toward a firm that knows their stuff and can execute with rock solid and provable return on investment, and that’s exactly what we’ll continue to do.”
CreateWOWmarketing, LLC can be found online at http://www.createWOWmarketing.com or you can contact The Brand Chef (Andrew B. Clark) on his createWOWmarketing direct line at 515.257.MKTG (515.257.5684). Andrew’s email is andrew@createWOWmarketing.com Faxes can be sent toll free to: 866-257-0961. Doug Mitchell can be reached at http://www.douglasEmitchell.com
August 25th, 2010 → 2:07 pm @ The Brand Chef // No Comments
Have you ever wondered how I became The Brand Chef? It’s not a story I tell often, but in a recent interview with Johnny Wright (Twitter: @unsecretshopper), better known as The UnSecret Shopper the TRUTH was revealed.
The request came out of the blue (proof of building a good personal brand), but after a few Twitter direct messages and a phone call-or-two, I decided Johnny had some great things to talk about and was very interested in learning more about The Brand Chef, marketing strategies and generally what I do… (go figure). 
In 19 short minutes, we covered everything from marketing strategies, social media marketing, customer service (which Johnny is brilliant at, by the way), and we even talked a little about how I became The Brand Chef!
Here’s a link to his post of his full 1-hour show. Or you can listen to just my interview below.
Enjoy!
The Brand Chef and Johnny Wright – The Unsecret Shopper Interview 7/24/10
Again, I’d like to thank Johnny Wright for taking the time and giving me the honor of being on his show. It was a great conversation and I look forward to hearing / seeing more from him in the future!
Keep Cooking!
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef
Johnny Wright can also be heard on 1350 AM, KRNT radio in Des Moines Iowa. Every Saturday at 8 AM. Check it out!
*This post was originally seen on The Brand Chef Blog. You can see the original here.
