Value Your Time

Posted: January 27, 2012 by Casey Flanagan Filed under: How To, Ideas

Finding an answer takes less time than figuring out what it means.

Having ten good ideas takes less time than crafting a great one.

Writing an email takes less time than communicating an actual point.

Telling someone how to do something takes less time than teaching them why.

Getting it done takes less time than getting it done right.

Thomas Friedman wrote a great piece in the New York Times this week called Average Is Over. But average is often what we’re asked for – find an answer, write an email, get it done.

Want to invest in making sure you stand out? Value your time.

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How To Start Simple: Just Start

Posted: January 20, 2012 by Casey Flanagan Filed under: Branding, How To, Ideas, Marketing, Tracking

Two weeks ago, I wrote a post titled “Start Simple.” My focus was on the word “simple.” Equal attention should be given to the word “start.”

Starting is hard. It’s hard because if you haven’t done it, you won’t know what it’s going to take. Or where it’s going to lead.

A case in point comes from the eMarketer webinar I attended earlier this week – “Measuring Social Media Success.” 39% of worldwide retailers don’t measure social media marketing.

I’ve not talked to those 39%, but I would bet they haven’t started because they don’t know the right way.

Here’s the secret: There isn’t one way.

Now, there is a right way for your company. But your organization’s culture, available resources, strategic vision and short-term goals – among other things – must all be considered. And the only way to figure out that “right way?” It’s simple. Start.

Prototyping isn’t just for products. It can be used for research methodologies. For ideas. And even for processes. Processes like “Measuring Social Media Success.”

Start by being clear on goals and objectives. Start by articulating the right questions. And then start figuring out the right answers from there.

Interested in more stuff I find interesting? Follow me @casey_flanagan on Twitter.

Keep It Simpler, Smarty

Posted: January 13, 2012 by Casey Flanagan Filed under: Branding, Ideas

Buzzwords are quickly becoming the chosen language for the culture of commerce. When Dan Pallotta posted “I Don’t Understand What Anyone Is Saying Anymore,” 937 people – at the time of this writing – took the time to comment. And 8,252 took the time to vote on the All-Time Worst Business Buzzword poll. We could all relate.

But be honest – Have you ever turned to a thesaurus to choose words that are more complex to give the impression that the content is more valid or intelligent? Nearly two-thirds of Stanford undergraduate students answered – admitted? – “yes.”

Using new or interesting, formal or complex language can make you feel smarter. But does it make you seem smarter to others? A study in Applied Cognitive Psychology suggests no.

“Consequences of Erudite Vernacular Utilized Irrespective of Necessity: Problems with Using Long Words Needlessly” makes the case the simpler writing is better writing. Simpler writing is judged as more true. It’s judged as more confident. It’s even liked more.

The lesson is simple. Want your writing to be liked more? Don’t just mean what you say. Just say what you mean.

Interested in more stuff I find interesting? Follow me @casey_flanagan on Twitter.

Start Simple

Posted: January 6, 2012 by Casey Flanagan Filed under: Advertising, Branding, Ideas, Marketing

A New Year’s Resolution: Start Simple.

It’s a new year. A new beginning. A fresh start.

Start simple.

Simple demands a premium price.

Simple builds loyalty.

Simple creates clarity.

Simple encourages authority.

Simple facilitates buy-in.

Simple cuts through clutter.

Simple sparks action.

And, yes, simple can move mountains.

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For Every Efficiency You Find, Find Two Ways To Add Value.

Posted: December 30, 2011 by Casey Flanagan Filed under: Branding, Ideas, Marketing

Want to change the game this year? Instead of just finding efficiencies, find ways to add value.

From messaging to product design, brands that add value are the ones that have the most enviable relationships with their customers. Brands that simplify the experience are the ones that engender loyalty. Brands that pay attention to both their look and their feel are the ones we’ll feel good about without knowing why.

Sure, you can cut a little here and a little there. And you should. But doing so won’t get you introduced to people who have no idea you exist. It certainly won’t get you re-considered by those who have written you off. It might not even change the way your current customers think, much less behave. Clearly defined value can get the attention that can get you all three.

Finding efficiencies can make your sales funnel more efficient. And that’s important. But adding value can change your funnel. Fundamentally. And for the better.

Interested in more stuff I find interesting? Follow me @casey_flanagan on Twitter.

How The Grinch Realized He Couldn’t Really Steal Christmas

Posted: December 23, 2011 by Casey Flanagan Filed under: Ideas

[Ed. note: I’m big on holiday traditions. Consider this a holiday blog tradition. If there is such a thing. This is one of my favorite pieces from the last few years. And an important reminder for anyone who works in the business of intangibles.]

We are faced with choices on how best to tell stories on a daily basis. Often times, the decision comes down to “do we / can we trust the audience?” Can we trust them to be smart enough? Engaged enough? Responsible enough?

I was reminded of this the other night as I read How The Grinch Stole Christmas. It was the first time I had read it in, likely, twenty-five years. And you know what? [Spoiler Alert!] Despite the promise of the title, The Grinch doesn’t steal Christmas. He can’t. That’s the point of the story. Here’s how the book ends:

And he brought back the toys! And the food for the feast!
And he… HE HIMSELF… !
The Grinch carved the roast beast.

The story ends with The Grinch carving the roast beast at the Who’s Christmas dinner.

When run through a committee, the story would have been called “The Unsteal-able Holiday.” Or “How The Grinch Couldn’t Steal Christmas.” Or, maybe most palatable, at least in hindsight, “How Christmas Saved The Grinch.”

But it wasn’t run through a committee. Or made into a literal translation. It was told by someone who believed strongly enough that this was the exact right way to tell it. And that people not only could get, they would get it. The good Doctor Seuss used a title that was, in reality, the opposite of what the story was about.

And the story has been told and retold ever since.

Happy Holidays.

New Year’s Resolution For Your Business: Use More Of Your Brain

Posted: December 16, 2011 by Casey Flanagan Filed under: How To, Ideas, Tracking

Do people really only use 10% of their brain? Scientific American says no. Actually, they report it as “laughable.”

Do businesses use 10% of their brain? It’s a question worth considering.

As I wrote two weeks ago, Data Is A Numbers Game. And as businesses capture more and more data, they need to be careful they aren’t just using a smaller and smaller percentage of it. Remember, 60% of respondents to a MIT study responded that their “organization has more data than it knows how to use effectively.”

So, what are the steps towards tracking your tracking? They aren’t complicated.

Take an inventory. What tools do you have at your disposal? Ask your co-workers / team members what tools they’re using, too. The demands for your attention have increased. You might be surprised at what you’ve actually forgotten.

Prioritize. What questions you are able to answer with those tools? Which matter most to your success? Call the tools that provide these critical answers your business’ “Brain.”

Be honest. How effectively are you are using your Brain? How much attention do you pay to it? How often do you access its insight? As often as appropriate? Or, maybe, sadly, less so?

Make a new year’s resolution to boost your Brain’s power. Feed it. Grow it. And make sure you are paying it its due attention.

Interested in more stuff I find interesting? Follow me @casey_flanagan on Twitter.

What Do You Do With Your Attention?

Posted: December 9, 2011 by Casey Flanagan Filed under: Branding, Ideas

It’s rare these days to find a surplus of attention. If anything – as a culture – there is a growing deficit. So don’t expect people to donate theirs. Nobody is looking to give theirs away.

People pay attention.

To pay is to give. For work done or goods received. Brands can’t forget this.

If people pay attention – to your message, to your brand – what are they going to get? What value will they receive?

And will they be willing to pay their attention again?

Interested in more stuff I find interesting? Follow me @casey_flanagan on Twitter.

Track Your Tracking: Data Is A Numbers Game

Posted: December 2, 2011 by Casey Flanagan Filed under: Ideas, Tracking

Seeing a story about brands embracing analytics has become nothing more than daily routine. But as Einstein famously said, “information is not knowledge.”

There is a tipping point with data where too much makes it hard to focus on what actually is important. And with 60% of respondents in a MIT Sloan Management Review survey agreeing that their organization has “more data than it knows how to use effectively,” our New Normal has tipped.

What to do? Start by tracking your tracking. We measure in order to optimize. What we measure deserves that same attention. Regular audits should consider whether what you’re measuring matters. Don’t just ask “what do we know?” Ask “what do we care?”

Too little data and you’re uninformed. But too much poses its own problems. Data is, itself, a numbers game.

Interested in more stuff I find interesting? Follow me @casey_flanagan on Twitter.

Sweat The Small Stuff: Little Changes Can Make Big Differences

Posted: November 25, 2011 by Casey Flanagan Filed under: Branding, How To, Ideas

Seeing as every post this month has been about change, I thought I’d keep the streak going. And in the spirit of the holidays, I’ll speak to two changes I’m thankful for. But not without a long-overdue nod to Steve Jobs.

I enjoyed Malcolm Gladwell’s recent piece in the New Yorker on Steve Jobs. It’s titled “The Tweaker.” Gladwell’s thesis can be summed up by a single line from the article: “Job’s sensibility was editorial, not inventive.” I tend to agree. And you can’t argue the results.

Small changes – meaningful changes – can make a big difference. Our culture has taken Richard Carlson too literally. We’ve stopped sweating too much small stuff. Two brands that haven’t:

The Pret A Manger brownie. I love Pret A Manger and their “Made Today, Gone Today” philosophy. I think we’ll be seeing a lot more of this approach in years to come. But its brand position is more revolution than evolution. Instead, let’s focus on the brownie I enjoyed there recently. The note on the back of the packaging says it all: “The never-ending development of our brownie is typical of Pret. We’ve improved the recipe 36 times over the last few years. Each change is minuscule but detectable. John D Hess said, ‘A race horse that runs a mile a few seconds faster is worth twice as much. That little extra proves to be the greatest value.’ Same with our Brownie we think.” It’s paying attention to details that makes a big difference. This is true… from brownies to brands.

The CrayAngle triangle crayon. How many times has a crayon you are using rolled around – and then off – the table? What about at a restaurant with a table with a wobbly leg and a maple-syrup-infused four-year-old? There is no reason this simple idea had to wait this long to make a difference. Except for the very likely facts of “Because we’ve always done it this way,” “This is the way we do it,” and “There is no reason to think about doing it differently.”

What if you thought about your business this way? What if you picked a product and made 36 improvements? What’s currently circle but could use three sides? What changes can you make for the better?

Sweat the small stuff. And it’s all small stuff.

Interested in more stuff I find interesting? Follow me @casey_flanagan on Twitter.